Responding to Crimes of Violence Against Women: Gender Differences Versus Organizational Imperatives

Abstract

Whether the police response to domestic assault differs from how they handle incidents involving strangers continues to be a topic of debate and research. Based on a 1-year sample of cases from a midwestern city, the hypothesis that an inverse relationship characterized the association between level of intimacy and arrest was tested. Notwithstanding relevant elements of probable cause such as the presence of weapons, witnesses, injury, and the offender, the results confirmed the hypothesis.