The Attorney General Has Hired You to Review Inmate Complaints

The Attorney General has hired you to review inmate complaints emanating from a state prison. Your investigation reveals that a group of six correctional officers is responsible for most of the issues. All six were part of the same training class and began work at the prison together. You are summarizing your findings for the Attorney General. Interviews with the officers revealed a common perception that prison management did not behave ethically and was not concerned about officer safety. The officers indicated that they eventually adopted the attitude that if management was not going to treat them properly, then they were no longer concerned about treating inmates ethically. This situation illustrates:

A) systemic abuse.
B) "trickle¬down" abuse.
C) informal misconduct.
D) negligent abuse.