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Police Arrests in Domestic Disturbances: A Further Look

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

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Abstract

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This study is a reexamination of the effect of situational characteristics on police arrests in domestic disturbances. Using observational data, we replicate recent research based upon official police reports. We also consider the implications of variables not available in the earlier study, especially the role orientation of the intervening officer. The results support the previous finding that the arrest decision turns on situational cues, but it suggests that the salience of such factors differs for officers whose role orientations differ.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 by The Law and Society Association

Footnotes

*

The authors wish to thank Gordon P. Whitaker and Charles Phillips for helpful comments and George Rabinowitz for methodological advice. Special thanks are due Richard O. Lempert for his invaluable assistance. The support of the National Institute of Justice, through Grant No. 80IJ-CX-0040, is gratefully acknowledged. The opinions and interpretations expressed herein are, of course, the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute of Justice.

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