The Ideology of Homicide Detectives: A Cross-National Study
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Law and Justice
Publication Date
10-12-2010
Abstract
Ideologies help guide our behavior and thought processes and have been largely neglected when studying crime and criminal justice professionals. Intensive interviews were conducted with homicide detectives in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia to provide a view of their working beliefs and opinions concerning a number of issues. The areas questioned included (a) working environment, (b) causes of homicide, (c) television portrayal of homicide work, and (d) the death penalty. Within each area several questions were asked. Although homicide detectives in both cities and countries gave similar responses to many questions, they differed significantly in terms of the role of guns, particularly handguns, in homicide rates, the death penalty, and their relationship to the prosecutor/crown. Therefore, although their constellation of beliefs (ideologies) surrounding the above noted topics were in many ways similar, there were distinct differences. The areas of difference can be understood within the larger legal and cultural context.
Recommended Citation
Reasons, C. E., Francis, T., & Kim, D. (2010). The Ideology of Homicide Detectives: A Cross-National Study. Homicide Studies, 14(4), 436–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767910381864
Journal
Homicide Studies
Rights
© 2010 SAGE Publications
Comments
This article was originally published in Homicide Studies. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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