Experiments as Reforms: The Impact of the "Minneapolis Experiment" on Police Policy

• NCJ Number: 124498
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1990) Pages: 147-153
• Author(s): J W Meeker; A Binder
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Using a national survey this study determines the current policies of police departments in handling domestic violence, and the recent histories of changes in these policies.

Abstract

This evaluation particularly stresses the effects of the Minneapolis Experiment and its related policy recommendations in producing change. The results of the Minneapolis Experiment purportedly demonstrated the effectiveness of arrest as the superior method of police response compared to the other experimentally manipulated responses of advising or separating the parties involved in misdemeanor level domestic disputes. The results of the survey show that the Minneapolis Experiment has been influential in changing the policies of police departments throughout the country for handling cases of domestic violence. The survey results also indicate a preference for greater discretion in handling domestic violence cases than the Minneapolis Experiment recommends and the general national zeitgeist seems to prefer. 1 acknowledgement, 3 tables, 10 references.