Code of silence
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A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily.
The code of silence is usually either kept because of threat of force, or danger to oneself, or being branded as a traitor or an outcast within the unit or organization as the experiences of the police whistleblower, Frank Serpico illustrates. Police are known to have a well-developed Blue Code of Silence. The code of silence was famously practiced in Irish-American neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts such as Charlestown, South Boston, and Somerville. Dan Goldberg and Danny Ben Moshe won Australia’s most prestigious journalism award, the Walkley Documentary Award for “Code of Silence,” which covers the fight for an investigation into allegations of child sex abuse at Yeshivah College, an all-male Orthodox Jewish school. It portrays the experiences of an Orthodox Jewish father and his son, after the son breaks the code of silence in Melbourne's Orthodox community and goes public with his story of being sexually abused as a student.[1][2]An Orthodox Jewish concept of mesirah forbids Jews from reporting crimes to civil authorities and keeping them with the Jewish community instead.[3]
A more famous example of the code of silence is Omertà (Italian: omertà, from the Latin: humilitas=humility or modesty), the Mafia code of silence.
Code of Silence in law enforcement
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The code of silence is often noted among police officers. This prevents a police officer from incriminating another officer for their wrongdoing. This behavior is done for a number of reasons including professional courtesy and trying to maintain the "good cop" facade. In terms of professional courtesy, it would be out of respect that an officer does not make a report for a rule or law that has been broken by another officer. While there are high social tensions between the community and the police force, the code of silence is used to maintain the solidarity among officers so it can appear that they are doing what is morally just in society. This is meant to protect them from the way in which they are critically viewed by the rest of society. Some officers abide by the code of silence out of fear. This fear stems from the possible punishment that can be faced including the loss of promotional opportunities as well as not receiving back up during a potentially dangerous call.
See also
- Blue wall of silence
- Chicago Police Department
- Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
- Stop Snitchin'
References
- Bill Maxwell, Opinion Columnist "Code of silence corrodes morality, puts blacks at risk" (2010, July 23) http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/code-of-silence-corrodes-morality-puts-blacks-at-risk/1110709
- Board, Editorial. "Judgment day for Chicago's police code of silence". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.