Further exploration of the demeanor hypothesis: The interaction effects of suspects' characteristics and demeanor on police behavior
Abstract
Recent research has reexamined the hypothesis that suspects' demeanor affects police behavior. Reanalyses have supported this demeanor hypothesis, but none have considered the possible interaction effect of demeanor with other extralegal variables. Utilizing systematic observational data collected in 24 police departments in three metropolitan areas, this research examines whether demeanor and suspects' characteristics interact, and ultimately produce differential patterns of citation, arrest, and the use of force. These estimated interaction effects provide a clearer understanding of the effect of demeanor in different contexts; more important, they acknowledge that officers accept some forms of disrespect but not others, depending on factors outside demeanor alone.
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Police decisions can be affected by a suspect's demeanor.
“demeanor (Engel, Sobol, & Worden, 2000;Klinger, 1996;Lundman, 1996;Worden & Shepard, 1996)”
From Procedural Justice and Order Maintenance Policing: A Study of Inner‐City Young Men’s Perceptions of Police Legitimacy (2010) · cites this paper as Engel, Sobol, & Worden, 2000
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Ariel, B., Farrar, W. A., & Sutherland, A. (2015) · Journal of Quantitative Criminology · doi:10.1007/s10940-014-9236-3 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Gau, J. M., & Brunson, R. K. (2010) · Justice Quarterly · doi:10.1080/07418820902763889 · Cited by 582 · see citing works
A Bird's Eye View of Civilians Killed by Police in 2015: Further Evidence of Implicit Bias
Nix, J., Campbell, B. A., Byers, E. H., & Alpert, G. P. (2017) · Criminology & Public Policy · doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12269 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
POLICE DISRESPECT TOWARD THE PUBLIC: AN ENCOUNTER‐BASED ANALYSIS*
MASTROFSKI, S. D., REISIG, M. D., & McCLUSKEY, J. D. (2002) · Criminology · doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2002.tb00965.x · Cited by 317 · see citing works
Ariel, B., Sutherland, A., Henstock, D., Young, J., Drover, P., Sykes, J., Megicks, S., & Henderson, R. (2016) · Journal of Experimental Criminology · doi:10.1007/s11292-016-9261-3 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
“Similarly, we know that some citizens’ demeanor promulgates use of force, often through verbal or physical assault of officers (Reisig et al. 2004; Terrill and Mastrofski 2002; but cf. Engel et al. 2000); these instances are likely to result in aggressive arrests and use of more police force.”
BackgroundNix, J., Pickett, J. T., Wolfe, S. E., & Campbell, B. A. (2017) · Justice Quarterly · doi:10.1080/07418825.2017.1334808 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training evidence-based practice? A systematic review
Peterson, J., & Densley, J. (2018) · Journal of Crime and Justice · doi:10.1080/0735648x.2018.1484303 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Nix, J., Pickett, J. T., & Mitchell, R. J. (2019) · Journal of Experimental Criminology · doi:10.1007/s11292-019-09363-4 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
- Authors
- Engel, R. S., Sobol, J. J., & Worden, R. E.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Hilbert College (US)
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- Venue
- Justice Quarterly
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2000-06-01
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 235-258
- ISSN
- 0741-8825 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-9109
- OpenAlex
- W2126668946
- Cited by
- 259
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 21.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Justice Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Keywords
- police behavior, interaction effects, police use of force, police arrest, police discretion, police-community relations
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