Impression Management Following Investigation and Prosecution Scandal in Norwegian Police: A Review of Press Releases

Abstract

This article presents research regarding impression management following a white-collar investigation and prosecution scandal by the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime in Norway. The authority issued 39 press releases in one year, which communicate focus on less serious crime cases combined with deterrence by taking on cases without ever bringing them to court. Deterrence strategy by investigations implies that the authority passes penalties on suspects who never have a chance to defend themselves in court. The penalty is suffering from negative public attention, lack of job opportunities, and time spent in detention and interrogation as an accused where they have to explain themselves. The authority then behaves like a court where they punish people. However, that is a role assigned to judges and not to investigators or prosecutors. The authority argues that it is difficult to obtain the necessary information without a thorough investigation. While this is certainly true, a policing principle seems forgotten that an investigation should only be launched when it is somehow obvious that crime has indeed occurred by a criminal.