Policing Spousal Assault

The claim that police officers are less likely to arrest for spousal assaults as compared to other types of violence is one of two fundamental assertions undergirding recent laws and policies encouraging officers to arrest in cases of spousal assault. A review of relevant literature, however, discloses no evidence that bears directly on this claim. Data from an observational study of police behavior are used to test the thesis that arrest is less likely for spousal violence. The findings do not support the thesis. Rather, they indicate that although officers are unlikely to arrest in spousal assault cases, they are equally unlikely to arrest in other types of violence. The implications of the study are discussed.