Grace, Sharon orcid.org/0000-0002-3499-3210, Lloyd, Charlie orcid.org/0000-0003-3524-0947 and Page, Geoff orcid.org/0000-0003-1612-3366 (2022) "What discretion do you need?" - Factors influencing police decision making in possession of cannabis offences. Criminology and criminal justice. ISSN 1748-8958
Abstract
Research suggests that those most likely to be policed for cannabis possession are young, ethnically minoritised, urban males belonging to ‘suspect’ groups. This study examined police decision-making in cannabis possession cases in a Northern England force. Findings demonstrate that, outside of a few cases in which cannabis was being used in public, the policing of cannabis in this force area most often involved ‘accidental’ discovery, in the sense that the original interest in individuals or vehicles was not related to cannabis possession, but was rather based on ‘suspicion formation’ concerning certain types of car, behaviours, people and locations. Once detected, officers felt obliged to take action due to pressure from the public and managers; the harms they associated with cannabis; and because the smell of cannabis made its public use difficult to ignore. There was little evidence of informal responses to cannabis suggesting a shift towards policing driven by force guidelines. However, guidelines differ, meaning that people who receive a criminal record in some force areas would not be criminalised in others. The consequences of having such a record suggests that achieving consistency in the policing of cannabis should prioritised.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details |
Keywords: | Policing,Discretion,cannabis,drug offences |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Social Policy and Social Work (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 15 Nov 2022 12:20 |
Last Modified: | 31 Dec 2024 00:14 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958221142478 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/17488958221142478 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:193424 |
Download
Filename: CCJ_19.0142Grace_accepted_manuscript.docx
Description: CCJ-19.0142Grace accepted manuscript