NCJ Number
180358
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2000 Pages: 18-37
Editor(s)
Don C. Gibbons
Date Published
2000
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article examines the effects of demographic, attitudinal and situational variables on the domestic violence arrest decision.
Abstract
The study used official data and officer attitudinal data, examining some variables never before examined in this context (e.g., officers' demographic characteristics) and improving on the measurement of many variables (e.g., victim cooperativeness, victim injury and time of shift). Logit analyses clarified those factors that significantly influenced the arrest decision and identified how officers determined a victim's cooperativeness. Findings demonstrated that situational characteristics were more important predictors of the arrest decision than were the individual attitudes of officers regarding victims or domestic violence in general. The strongest predictor of the arrest decision was suspect presence. When an arrest was not made at the scene, victims were significantly less likely to participate in the prosecution of their cases. Tables, notes, references