Criminal Justice Short Answer Police Discretion

Consider how policing styles have changed throughout history. For this discussion, focus on police discretion. Police officers are given a great deal of discretion while they are on patrol enforcing the law. How has this changed through history? Do you see any key differences today?

But there are some crimes in which police officers do not have discretion. For example, police officers shall arrest the primary aggressor at a domestic assault call. The word “shall” is in reference to the police officers not having any discretion in those situations. The law states “shall” as a mandatory response to domestic assault. This means that they must arrest the primary aggressor. Do you think police officers should be given more discretion or less discretion when dealing with people who break the law? Are there benefits to allowing the police to have more discretion or less discretion? What are the risks?

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