The Story of the Clan: Judicial Corruption and the Social Psychology of Injustice

Two of the most destructive forces in any society or system are hate and corruption. Hate provides the motivation to mistreat others, while corruption creates the pathway to do so. The Story of the Clan is a hypothetical, philosophical, and theoretical thought experiment designed to explore how hate functions and what modern corruption might look like in practice. Take with a grain of salt.

People generally rely on the courts to uphold justice. However, when those courts become entangled within a matrix of corruption, the need for reform becomes a pressing issue.

Consider the following as a learning example: A group of friends realized they could enrich themselves financially through unethical means. Not the first time. They socialized and worked closely with a few law enforcement officials and began targeting others. Some of the same members of the group were also involved in sexual misconduct. Expanding further through a wider social network found that some may have been tied extreme misconduct elseware. The level of coordination was well practiced and indicated patterned behaviors. When individuals reported the wrongdoing, they were quickly retaliated against. A socially connected judge with extreme ideological beliefs not only turned a blind eye but also ordered actions that violated human and civil rights—appearing to do so with the intent to harm others and benefit members of their own social network and perceptions of societal value.

Throughout history, when great harm has been inflicted collectively upon others certain similar breakdowns in judicial integrity might have occurred. Courts began rewarding friends, undermining shared civic values, disregarding constitutional protections, and misapplying justice for different invented categories of people. No willingness to correct violations of social contracts. Other victims who came forward could have been protected, but instead, tainted courts were used for the benefit of a social “clan,” reinforcing extreme religious and racial beliefs as the unwritten laws of the land (Remember this is only a learning example).

Because this is a theoretical learning exercise, consider the following questions:

1. What would be the impact on society if it became clear that certain individuals or behaviors are above the law, while others are punished for doing the right thing?

2. How might such intentional misconduct affect public trust in institutions?

3. In what ways could extreme racial, religious, political, or ideological values distort judicial decision-making?

4. What might it mean for society if wrongdoing is ignored and more victims continue to come forward without justice? 

5. What is the impact on general societal performance if there are no avenues of recourse, redress, or correction? 

Two interesting articles, 

What is Hate?

Code of Conduct for Judges

*This is a philosophical thought experiment to explore ideas and concepts so feel free to disagree, or propose alternative perspectives, or chance down different lines of logic. It is an exploration of possibilities.