Conflicting Consensus

Abstract

Limited research exists on the extent to which the public supports the criminalization of domestic violence, and whether people believe police pro-arrest policies will deter future offending. Based on conflict theory, it is hypothesized that there will be differences in support for criminalization between powerful (i.e., middle to upper class Caucasian men) and less powerful demographic groups (i.e., women, minorities, and the economically and educationally disadvantaged). Data were collected from a randomized telephone survey of Alabama residents and analyzed using ordered regression models. Results indicate that a majority of respondents agreed with a pro-arrest policy for domestic violence; however, age, education, income, and gender subgroup differences offer support for the conflict model. An additional finding that domestic violence victimization plays a significant role in the formulation of respondents' attitudes toward these policies needs to be more closely investigated.