'We work in the grey around decision-making': How 'thematic discretion' can help understand police decision-making in cases of youth image-based sexual abuse

• In Event: POL Panel 11. Policing harmful sexual behaviour and online child sexual abuse and exploitation

Abstract

Police discretion describes the individual freedom that officers have to navigate certain situations using their own judgement. Its employment in cases of gender-based abuse is of particular importance. As part of a wider mixed methods doctoral project investigating youth image-based sexual abuse - harmful image-sharing practices amongst and against young people - this research argues that a new term ‘thematic discretion’ can help us better understand the complexities of police decision-making. Findings suggest that police officers use their discretion extensively in cases of youth image-based sexual abuse, that subjective guidelines were created to inform their decision-making – amounting to my definition of ‘thematic discretion’ – with many of these guidelines being steeped in victim blaming and sexist narratives. Indeed, police discretion continues to wield power, this has implications for how youth image-based sexual abuse is responded to, and how abuse is understood.

Author

• Alishya Dhir, The Police Foundation