Results from a qualitative study of police discretion in Denmark are presented. The aim of the study was to investigate the background for police decisions made on the spot, and to determine whether or not police discretion amounts to discrimination. Police discretion is analysed as two distinct forms of power, namely the power of definition/suspicion and the power of procedure/prosecution. The study shows that both forms are used in a discriminatory way, and it is argued that use of the power of suspicion results in discrimination. The power of prosecution, on the other hand, need not necessarily entail discrimination, but in practice it often does. The police discern between “typical offenders” and “decent citizens” and treat suspects differently according to type. The reason for this discrimination, it is argued, can be found in officers’ notions of typological guilt , a form of “alleged” guilt that is independent of concrete evidence. Differences in the degree of leniency experienced by different types of suspect can be interpreted as vicarious punishment of the typologically guilty. The impact of this kind of police practice on police-citizen relations, and possibilities for improvement, are discussed.
Categories
Latest News
CfP European Journal of Policing Studies - Special Issue: The Dynamics of Police Stops
European Journal of Policing Studies Special Issue: The Dynamics of Police Stops Guest editors: Mike Rowe Sofie de Kimpe Vincenzo…
Read morePolstops Newsletter n4 (June 2022)
At last, we have been able to meet again. And we can now begin to identify what we have missed…
Read moreSpecial issue on POLICE ENCOUNTERS
A Special Issue on POLICE ENCOUNTERS of the Journal of Organizational Ethnography guest edited by Megan O’Neill, Mike Rowe, Sofie…
Read moreDoctoral and Early Career Training School 'Writing about Police Stops' - Call for Expressions of Interest
Location: Florence Dates: 2 – 6 May 2022 The EU Cost Action on Police Stops (CA17102) invites applications from Doctoral…
Read moreTo know more or to become part of this Action
Contact UsSubscribe to our newsletter

COST Action COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.