NCJ Number
86010
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1982) Pages: 425-438
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Using data obtained through unstructured interviews with heroin users in a western Canadian city, this report examines the significance for official heroin-use statistics of two police-related matters: the responsiveness of decisionmaking based on violators' characteristics and the nature of police policy.
Abstract
The heroin users interviewed indicated that the police did not vary in their decisions to arrest persons once they had made the effort to obtain sufficient evidence; however, the users did perceive that the police targeted persons for the building of a case based upon sex and whether or not officers had a personal dislike for an individual. Women whose appearance was normally attractive were not generally targeted for investigations by police, and those who had given the police cause to dislike them received priority in investigations. The users also noted that police practices of arrest had varied over the years. They viewed the police as being more skilled in undercover work and more determined to made arrests for minor drug offenses. Overall, heroin arrest statistics apparently vary according to individual officer preferences for targeting suspects and police efforts in the development of particular investigative skills and adherence to strictly legal approaches to the handling of drug use. The findings suggest that official statistics are not reliable indicators of the extent and distribution of community heroin use, since they reflect varying police policy and behavior over time. Six references are listed.