They Can’t Search Her: How Gender Imbalance on the Police Force Contributes to Perceptions of Procedural Unfairness

• In Event: The Evolving Experiences of Women in Policing

Abstract

The policing industry remains male-dominated with comparatively fewer female officers. Research suggests that gender imbalances on the force can significantly impact the experience of those policed. Of import, yet rarely examined, is the extent to which predominantly male police forces can simultaneously send signals of procedural justice and procedural injustice. Using data from 253 in-depth interviews of male and female drug-dealing gang members, we investigate how perceptions of a male-dominated police force impact perceptions of fair policing. Our analysis indicates that men and women who come in contact with police report complex experiences with regards to expected police behavior. Specifically, male and female gang members reported being stopped primarily by male officers and as such, expected that male officers would target or search women much less often. This expectation contributed to the belief that men would inevitably experience a greater number of involuntary encounters and that these exchanges would be comparatively harsher than those with female drug dealers. This suggests that procedurally just behavior can contribute to perceptions of procedural injustice. Our findings indicate that procedurally unfair behavior may be a systemic problem where the gender composition of the police force itself leads to the perception of an unfair system.

Authors

• Madeleine Novich, Rutgers University

• Anne Li Kringen, University of New Haven

• Geoffrey Hunt, University of Aarhus