- Self-policing
Self-policing, a form of
Self-regulation , is the process whereby an organization is asked, or volunteers, to monitor its own adherence to legal, ethical, or safety standards, rather than have an outside, independent agency such as a governmental entity monitor and enforce those standards.Advantages
To the organization
An organization can maintain control over the standards to which they are held by successfully self-policing themselves. If they can keep the public from becoming aware of their internal problems, this also serves in place of a
public relations campaign to repair such damage.To the public
The cost of setting up an external enforcement mechanism is avoided.
Disadvantages
To the organization
Self-policing attempts may well fail, due to the inherent
conflict of interest in asking any organization to police itself. If the public becomes aware of this failure; an external, independent organization is often given the duty of policing them, sometimes with highly punitive measures taken against the organization.To the public
The results can be disastrous, such as a military with no external, independent oversight, which may commit human rights violations against the public.
Forms of self-policing organizations
*In direct self-policing, the organization directly monitors and punishes its own members. For example, many small organizations have the ability to remove any member by a vote of all members.
*Another common form is where the organization establishes an external policing organization. This organization is established, and controlled by, the parent organization, so cannot be considered independent, however.
*In another form, the organization sets up a committee or division for policing the remainder of the organization. The
House Ethics Committee is an example in theUnited States government, while various police departments employ anInternal Affairs division to perform a similar function.List of self-policing organizations
*
American Bar Association (ABA) formulates model ethical codes related to the legal profession. The ABA has 410,000 members.
* Every state bar association in the U.S. is a self-policing organization.
*Canadian Disc Jockey Association Examples of government-initiated self-policing programs
* [http://www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/auditing/auditpolicy.html US Environmental Protection Agency's Audit Policy]
* [http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/ NASA/FAA Aviation Safety Reporting System]ee also
*
Conflict of interest#Examples *
Ethical code
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