Arrest Decisions

The Author: Ewha Chung is Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at Sungshin University in Seoul, Korea. She received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Northwestern University. In addition to the numerous articles on the eighteenth century in professional journals, she is presently editing and contributing to an anthology of English Literature for Korean students.

«In this ground-breaking study, Edith Linn, a former New York Police Department lieutenant, takes on the personal dimensions of arrest decisions. Some officers, suffering from low pay and high living costs, arrest for overtime and use a variety of techniques to maximize it. Others are deterred from arrest-making by the muddle of paperwork and the likelihood that a collar will interfere with childcare, second jobs, or family functions. Such officers may pass off their arrests to others, ignore criminal behavior, or try for a desk job. Overall, this exceptional work not only humanizes these officers but adds tremendously to our store of knowledge of policing and the factors that affect officers’ behavior.» (Martin D. Schwartz, Professor of Sociology, Ohio Presidential Research Scholar, Ohio University)«Edith Linn’s book ‘Arrest Decisions’ is a fascinating, well-researched study of adaptive arrest behavior among New York City Police Department officers. Linn, a former NYPD lieutenant, proves that lengthy arrest procedures generate powerful private motives to make or avoid an arrest, and that officers control their arrest-making in furtherance of their own self-interest. Buttressing her analysis are the many participants’ comments, which detail the problems in their daily lives and their frustration with the system. Linn’s groundbreaking work is an outstanding contribution to the literature of policing and criminal justice. I would recommend it for any interested professor, researcher, student, and the average citizen.» (John S. Dempsey, Captain, New York City Police Department (Ret.); Professor Emeritus in Criminal Justice, State University of New York (SUNY)-Schenectady County Community College; Mentor in Criminal Justice and Public Administration, SUNY-Empire State College)«Anyone interested in exploring the full range of factors that enter a police officer’s mind as he/she decides when and how often to arrest individuals should hurry up and read Edith Linn’s ‘Arrest Decisions’. Linn brings these considerations to life through rigorous social science analysis buttressed with illuminating revelations of officers’ confidential opinions. She uncloaks the determinants of this ‘adaptive arrest behavior’ as she astutely combines the practical experience of a former police lieutenant and the analytical skills of a sociologist.The book examines the intersection of the arresting process with organizational, situational, and personal factors, but it is in the area of personal factors that Linn breaks new ground. She examines such factors as post-work commitments, the burdens of the arrest process, attitudes towards arrest, personal concerns, personal finances, and pre-incident proclivity to make or decline arrests.This volume is an important contribution to the literature on police behavior and other scholars will be well advised to replicate this valuable study. I highly recommend this work.» (Eli B. Silverman, Professor Emeritus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Author, ‘NYPD Battles Crime: Innovative Strategies in Policing’)«Through hard work and concise analysis, Edith Linn provides us with a thought-provoking inside look at how forces outside police officers’ work environments shape how they carry out their duties on the job. Linn has given a wonderful glimpse into the world of everyday police decision-making. In so doing, she has made a fine contribution to what we currently know about the operations of the police in modern American society.» (David A. Klinger, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis)