Citation

Stalans LJ, Finn MA. Women Crim. Justice 2000; 11(3): 1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J012v11n03_01

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Some scholars argue that a greater number of women police officers may improve the plight of battered women through increased arrest rates and referrals to battered shelters. We examine how women (N = 40) and men police officers (N = 214) perceive and respond to a hypothetical realistic domestic violence situation, and three manipulated features of the situation: wife's conduct (normal, hallucinating, drunken); presence of visible injuries on the wife; and antagonism between wife and husband. Women and men did not differ on arrest rates; however, women were more likely to recommend battered shelters and less likely to recommend marriage counseling. These gender differences occurred only for experienced women. Women also assigned more importance to the victim's willingness to settle the argument in their arrest decisions. The implications of these findings are discussed.