The Tendency to Make Arrests in Domestic Violence: Perceptions From Police Officers in China

The present study examines police officer attitudes and responses to domestic violence on a sample of 520 officers in a southern Chinese city. The police officers were asked to respond to two vignette scenarios depicting husbands assaulting their wives. The results show high correlations between off...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Zhao, Ruohui (Author) ; Jiang, Yong (Author) ; Yao, Xuening (Author) ; Zhang, Hongwei (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2018
In: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Year: 2018, Volume: 62, Issue: 16, Pages: 4923-4941
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Responses to domestic violence
Police arrest
Attitude toward women
Police subculture
China
Description
Summary:The present study examines police officer attitudes and responses to domestic violence on a sample of 520 officers in a southern Chinese city. The police officers were asked to respond to two vignette scenarios depicting husbands assaulting their wives. The results show high correlations between officer responses to the two vignettes: Husbands are much more likely to be arrested than wives. The results of logistic regression analysis reveal that officers who view their profession as that of a law enforcer are more likely to arrest either husbands or wives. Officers who believe domestic violence to be a private matter are less inclined to arrest husbands, while those who hold profeminist attitudes are more inclined to do so. Finally, the implications are considered for further understanding of police responses to domestic violence in the Chinese context.
ISSN:1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X18801653