TY - JOUR
T1 - The Sexual Stratification Hypothesis
T2 - Is the Decision to Arrest Influenced by the Victim/Suspect Racial/Ethnic Dyad?
AU - O’Neal, Eryn Nicole
AU - Beckman, Laura O.
AU - Spohn, Cassia
N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was supported by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice [2009-WG-BX-009]. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2016.
PY - 2019/3/1
Y1 - 2019/3/1
N2 - The sexual stratification hypothesis suggests that criminal justice responses to sexual victimization will differ depending on the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad. Previous research examining the sexual stratification hypothesis has primarily focused on court processes, and the small body of literature examining arrest decisions is dated. There remains substantial opportunity for testing the sexual stratification hypothesis at response stages apart from the court level (i.e., arrest). Using quantitative data on 655 sexual assault complaints that were reported to the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department (LASD) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 2008, this study examines the effect of the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad on the decision to arrest. Findings suggest that police consider the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad when making arrest decisions. In addition, victim characteristics, strength of evidence indicators, and measures of case factors predict the police decision to make an arrest.
AB - The sexual stratification hypothesis suggests that criminal justice responses to sexual victimization will differ depending on the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad. Previous research examining the sexual stratification hypothesis has primarily focused on court processes, and the small body of literature examining arrest decisions is dated. There remains substantial opportunity for testing the sexual stratification hypothesis at response stages apart from the court level (i.e., arrest). Using quantitative data on 655 sexual assault complaints that were reported to the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department (LASD) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 2008, this study examines the effect of the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad on the decision to arrest. Findings suggest that police consider the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad when making arrest decisions. In addition, victim characteristics, strength of evidence indicators, and measures of case factors predict the police decision to make an arrest.
KW - ethnicity
KW - police arrest decisions
KW - race
KW - sexual assault case processing
KW - sexual stratification hypothesis
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U2 - 10.1177/0886260516651093
DO - 10.1177/0886260516651093
M3 - Article
C2 - 27226012
SN - 0886-2605
VL - 34
SP - 1287
EP - 1310
JO - Journal of interpersonal violence
JF - Journal of interpersonal violence
IS - 6
ER -