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 followed 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 experience of police
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
Frank Serpico
Francesco Vincent Serpico (born April 14, 1936) is an American retired New York Police Department detective, best known for whistleblowing on police corruption. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a plainclothes police officer working in B ...
illustrates. Police are known to have a well-developed
blue wall of silence
The blue wall of silence, also blue code and blue shield, are terms used to denote the supposed informal code of silence among police officers in the United States not to report on a colleague's errors, misconducts, or crimes, especially as re ...
.
A more well-known example of the code of silence is
omertà
Omertà (, ) is a Southern Italian code of silence and code of honor and conduct that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders, especiall ...
(Italian: omertà, from the Latin: humilitas=humility or modesty), the
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
code of silence.
See also
*
*
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment (Amendment V) to the United States Constitution addresses criminal procedure and other aspects of the Constitution. It was ratified, along with nine other articles, in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amen ...
*
Stop Snitchin'
In the United States, Stop Snitchin or Snitches Get Stitches is a call for informants not to cooperate with law enforcement.
Origin
T-shirts bearing the phrase "Stop Snitching" first appeared on the streets of Philadelphia in 2002.
National pr ...
*''
Spotlight
Spotlight or spot light may refer to:
Lighting
* Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps
* Spotlight (theatre lighting)
* Spotlight, a searchlight
* Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types
Art, entertainment, an ...
'', a 2015 film that explores a communal code of silence that reigned during the
Boston sex abuse scandal
References
*Bill Maxwell, Opinion Columnist
Code of silence corrodes morality, puts blacks at risk (2010, July 23)
* Board, Editorial
''chicagotribune.com''. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
Group processes
Silence
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