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The Effect of a Domestic Violence Policy Change on Police Officers' Schemata

Michigan State University

Schemata are used to organize knowledge, helping people interpret their environment and decide on courses of action. The current study examined the schemata of police officers socialized before and after the department changed its domestic violence policy to mandate arrests when probable cause exists in domestic disturbances. It was hypothesized that officers socialized before the policy change would have schemata that discouraged them from making arrests and rating victims cooperative and likely to prosecute their cases, whereas the opposite was predicted for officers socialized during the pro-arrest era. The relationship of officers' schemata to their arrest decisions at domestic calls and their attitudes toward the victims at these calls were analyzed using logistic regression. Results indicated more similarity than difference between the two groups of officers, although the schema variable did predict officers' belief in the likelihood of victims prosecuting their cases, pointing to the utility of schema theory for understanding police attitudes.

Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 5, 600-624 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/0093854800027005004


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