NCJ Number
80962
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 383-389
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from a study that examined the effects of race in the use of discretion in relation to the legal or departmental policies in five adjacent police agencies.
Abstract
Study subjects were 171 police officers selected from the ranks of two urban and three suburban police agencies in northwest Indiana. Subjects were categorized by three regions: Region I, consisting of 58 officers (28 minority) from a predominantly black urban community; Region II, consisting of 57 officers (2 minority) from a predominantly white urban community; and Region III, consisting of 56 officers (all white) selected from three different all-white suburban communities. Among the officers selected from each region were supervisors holding the rank of sergeant. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure differences in the use of discretion. One section of the questionnaire contained eight situational vignettes involving police encounters having high opportunity for discretionary abuse. Data showed that the police of the predominantly black urban community demonstrated the highest overall use of personal discretion and were slightly more punitive toward white offenders than blacks. The police of the predominantly white urban community and all-white suburbs were considerably more punitive toward black offenders than whites. The findings also showed that line officers were significantly more punitive toward black offenders than white ones, but the reverse was true of police supervisors. The need for clearer enforcement policies is obvious, and it can be concluded that where there is a more racially balanced police department, a more equal dispensation of police discretion is likely. Graphic data and four references are provided.