The Influence of Public Opinion on the Internal Beliefs of Law Enforcement Subjects when they Exercise Discretionary Authorities

  • Roman VANDZHURAK

    Doctor of Philosophy in Law,

    Doctoral Student of the Department of Philosophy of Law and Legal Logic of the National Academy of Sciences

    Kyiv, Ukraine

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8474-2276

Abstract

Abstract. Procedural decisions adopted by law enforcement entities are dictated not only by the requirements of the law and the actual circumstances of the case (evidence), but also by various influences, not least of which is public opinion. Being the same participants in social relations as ordinary citizens, subjects of law enforcement can also be influenced by the opinion of the public living in society, which does not always relay the real request of society, but can be artificially mounted to achieve a certain goal. Since law enforcement subjects are given discretionary powers to make procedural decisions based on internal conviction, that is, to apply the law at their own discretion, such influence under the guise of public opinion can be deliberately created to obtain a certain desired decision. Scientific novelty. In this study, the author for the first time declares the influence of public opinion on the internal beliefs of law enforcement subjects, admitting negative consequences in this and tries to find mechanisms to oppose it. Methodology. When preparing the article, the author used the methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization, with the help of which it was possible to establish the influence of public opinion on the inner conviction of law enforcement subjects. To substantiate the results and formulate the conclusions of the research, the methods of deductive-logical analysis, as well as inductive generalization and analogy were used, which made it possible to come to the conviction that public opinion can have a significant influence on the internal beliefs of law enforcement subjects, and such influence is mostly negative. The author is convinced that the questions raised in the research are relevant, and the methods proposed by him for alleviating the expressed fears have practical significance, since these ideas can be used to improve the qualifications of law enforcement subjects.

 

Keywords: public opinion; inner conviction; discretion; subjects of procedural decision-making; subjects of law enforcement; philosophy of law.

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Author Biography

Roman VANDZHURAK

Doctor of Philosophy in Law,

Doctoral Student of the Department of Philosophy of Law and Legal Logic of the National Academy of Sciences

Kyiv, Ukraine

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Published
2024-06-25
Section
Philosophy and philosophy of law