NCJ Number
93441
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study determined that sex and race do not alone direct police officers' responses to individual offenders.
Abstract
This paper explores four hypotheses about female crime. The first hypothesis states that police officers are inclined to react less harshly to women than to men for most offenses. The second holds that due to having stereotyped views of feminine behavior, the variation in police dispositions across type of offense will be greater for women than for men. Hypothesis three suggests that police will treat a woman who engages in traditionally masculine behavior more harshly than they will treat a male with similar demeanor. The fourth hypothesis states that black women are more likely to receive severe reactions from police than white women. This study was part of a larger research project conducted in a large metropolitan area in the Southeast. The methodology consisted of presenting 40 brief, hypothetical cases to police officers and detectives to determine their reactions to such situations. The four experimental factors were race, sex, demeanor of the offender, and type of crime. The findings did not support any of the hypotheses. The research found that the decisions of police officers are not contingent on the sex or race of the offenders. Whether what police say they do and what they actually do in these circumstances are the same remains a question for further research. Fifteen references are included.