Police Coercion: Application of the Force Continuum (Criminal Justice: Recent Scholarship) (Criminal Justice Series: Recent Scholarhsip)

Using observational data from two cities, Terrill studies police use of force to better understand how and why officers resort to force. He examines the extent of force within individual police-citizen encounters and tests numerous theoretical perspectives (sociological, psychological, and organizational) concerning why officers resort to force. Further he offers the Resistance Force Comparative Scale as a means for examining how officers move about the force continuum. Results show that officers use higher levels of force on male, nonwhite, poor, young, and intoxicated citizens, offering primary support within a sociological theoretical framework. Surprisingly, however, officers are not more forceful toward disrespectful citizens. Analyses also reveal that officers differentially escalate and de-escalate force according to the presence and nature of citizen resistance. Interestingly, officers do not jump at the opportunity to use force on resistant suspects, offering instead a second chance to comply before applying increased levels of force.