L15 - Police Psychology

Question 1

Give reasons why some police engage in unethical behaviour

Answer 1

System supports corruption via: on-the-job socialisation of recruits, peer group reinforcement and encouragement of rule violations, policing as a ‘brotherhood’

Job of policing is itself corrupting

Generally a low risk of being detected and punished

Much police work is unsupervised and discretionary

Question 2

Describe Australian research on police ethics

What are the 4 studies conducted and what did they find?

Answer 2

Study 1 - perceptions of ethical dilemmas

• investigated attitudes towards breaches of ethics among police officers and recruits
• FINDINGS = ‘typical officers’ were rates as viewing situations the least serious; on almost all incidents, recruits rated most serious and constables/senior constables as least serious; females gave more serious judgments of incidents

Study 2 - individual perspectives on police ethics

• investigated individual officers’ training, knowledge and understanding of ethics in everyday policing situations
• FINDINGS = junior officers reported receiving more ethics training than senior officers, although training was not viewed as relevant or practical; rules need to be written in a way that’s easier to understand

Study 3 - practical ethics in the police service

• investigated individual and organisational influences on ethical and unethical behaviour among police officers
• FINDINGS = estimated that 113-28% of police acts involve breaches of ethics

Study 4 - public perceptions of professional ethics

• public perceptions of police (compared to other professionals) improved from 1995 to 1999
• pattern of complaints may have changed

Question 3

Define police discretion

Answer 3

Involves knowing when to enforce the law and when to allow for some latitude

Question 4

When is police discretion commonly used for?

Answer 4

Youth crime

Offenders with mental illness

Domestic violence

Use of force

Question 5

List of factors influencing arrest decisions

Answer 5

• seriousness of crime
• strength of the evidence
• whether victim supports arrest
• relationship between victim and offender
• degree of suspect resistance
• race, gender, neighbourhood

Question 6

Discuss the sources and consequences of police stress

Answer 6

• occupational stressors (e.g. having to use a weapon)
• organisational stressors (e.g. paperwork)
• criminal justice stressors (e.g. frustration with court system)
• public stressors (e.g. uncooperative witnesses)

Question 7

What are the 3 consequences of police stress?

Answer 7

1. Physical
   - officers may be at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and digestive disorder
   - high blood pressure, ulcers, weight gain and diabetes are other ailments that may develop
2. Psychological and Personal
   - drinking and substance abuse
   - depression, anxiety, suicide
   - marital problems
3. Job-related
   - poor morale, absenteeism, reduction in effectiveness, turnover, and early retirement
   - these problems may resulted from physical, psychological or personal consequences of stress

Question 8

Discuss prevention and management of police stress

Elaborate on adaptive coping strategies and critical incident debriefings

Answer 8

physical fitness programs

professional counselling services

family assistance programs

teaching and adaptive coping strategies

• attempt to change maladaptive coping (e.g. substance abuse)
• teach adaptive coping skills (e.g. better communication)
• has been shown to result in general health improvements and increased work performance

critical incident debriefings

• one of the most commonly used methods of debriefing is Critical Incident Stress Debriefing which allows members to discuss the traumatic even in a controlled and rational environment
• there are many positives, BUT some research shows that CISD has no positive effects on PTSD levels, and may actually have a negative effect on psychological wellbeing