Demeanor,sex, and race in police processing

Recent increases in arrests of women have stimulated much controversy about the causes and extent of female crime and created much speculation about the differential treatment of female offenders by police officers. This article reports an empirical study of police processing of female offenders. During September–December 1978, 282 questionnaires were completed by police officers and detectives in a large, metropolitan area in a southeastern state. Each officer was asked to indicate a police decision in five hypothetical situations which varied by types of offense, race of the offender, sex of the offender, and demeanor of the offender. An analysis of the responses of the police officers indicates that decisions of police are not contingent on the sex and race of the offenders. The major variables in determining how police officers will respond are the nature of the offense and the manner in which the offender behaves when confronted by the officer.