Ethics of mentally tagging criminals

So in my story about a superhero organization, there is one corp within the organization that consists of write-only (they can't read thoughts they only alter them) psychic humans (and some aliens as well).

When confronting hostile suspects, they focus broadcast a psychic aura that induces and amplifies fear and doubt, as way to quickly end the confrontation and avoid further bloodshed.

However, if they capture suspects they can subtly implant instructions into the suspect's head telling them to report every so often on the activities of their criminal organization.

Of course, just because they can doesn't mean they should. ITT, I was want to pin down exactly why this technique is questionable.

So far all I have is that it is done without consent and a sloppy implantation can lead to mental health issues down the road.

Are the psychics immune to having their minds altered? What about the rest of the overall organisation? I know that I would never, ever, ever trust anyone who had that kind of power (unless they altered my mind so that I did trust them); a more paranoid person than me would want to kill them in pre-emptive self-defence, because such powers would be too easily abused.

Every sapient being has some psychic immune system ever since the Mass Super-Empowering Event.

Psychics even more so.

Also emotions are the easiest to manipulate. Individual thoughts is harder to properly adjust as trains of thought are delicate processes and the slightest discontinuity can alert the person to being the target of psychic persuasion.

Finally, there is technology to prevent unwanted psychic broadcast and reception. For civilian purposes that is.

I suppose that the objection that I, personally, would likely have to such activity is that it's a somewhat horrifying invasion of the incredibly private space that is one's own mind and thoughts.

edited 11th Oct '13 4:20:28 PM by ArsThaumaturgis

It's brainwashing. They psychics are removing the targets free will to do what the psychic wants them to do.

Ok no implant instructions then.

Just psychic enhanced good cop-bad cop.

Aside from what's already been mentioned, there's the ethical question raised by the fact that the implanted "keep us posted on whet your gang is up to" is very likely to get suspects killed. It won't take long before some cop is careless and lets it slip how they knew what was about to happen. At that point, any criminal who's been in police custody and may have had the 'snitch implant' done is a liability to their group. The kinder groups/gangs will simply cut them out of the loop; the more pragmatic/ruthless ones will kill them right away without waiting to find out if it's been done.

edited 11th Oct '13 6:08:09 PM by Madrugada

Maddy: Depending on how long complex it is to install the implant, a snatch and release may create the snitch without having them show up in the station and thus be more low profile.

This superhero organization doesn't waste valuable resources going after street gangs, except in the cases where one certain street gang is about to open a portal to a Nazi controlled dimension.

edited 11th Oct '13 8:57:59 PM by Worlder

If the people the organization is going after isn't normal, then it stands to reason they may develop counter measures or flat out resistances to this kind of telepathy.

Well, in addition to what's been presented here, the main issue I see is dealing with a given group that starts Feeding the Mole.