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Police Handling of Domestic and Nondomestic Assault Calls: Is There a Case for Discrimination?

NCJ Number
170528
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 44 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1998) Pages: 335-349
Author(s)
L Feder
Date Published
1998
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study compares police handling of domestic and nondomestic assaults in one jurisdiction.
Abstract
Even before domestic violence was studied, research on the police decision to arrest revealed the importance of the victim/offender relationship. Since then, domestic violence has attracted increased attention. More recent studies consistently find low arrest rates when police respond to domestic assault, supporting the belief that police underenforce the laws against domestic violence. However, meaningful discussion on disparity is impossible without comparison to nondomestic assault incidents. This study compared police handling of domestic and nondomestic assaults, with controls introduced for legal and extra-legal variables, out of the Palm Beach, FL, Sheriff's Office. Findings show that police did not respond less vigorously to domestic assault calls. The article encourages similar research in different localities nationwide in order to investigate whether or not police are selectively underenforcing domestic violence laws. Table, notes, references