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'Dealing with people as we see fit’: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

E-pub ahead of print

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'Dealing with people as we see fit’: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic. / De Camargo, Camilla; Cram, Fred.
In: Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 11.06.2025.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

De Camargo, C & Cram, F 2025, ''Dealing with people as we see fit’: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic.', Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12602

APA

De Camargo, C., & Cram, F. (2025). 'Dealing with people as we see fit’: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12602

Vancouver

De Camargo C, Cram F. 'Dealing with people as we see fit’: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. 2025 Jun 11. Epub 2025 Jun 11. doi: 10.1111/hojo.12602

Author

De Camargo, Camilla ; Cram, Fred. / 'Dealing with people as we see fit’ : Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic. In: Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. 2025.

Bibtex

@article{f68627ee45ca49da8da67628ba5aabdd,
title = "'Dealing with people as we see fit{\textquoteright}: Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic.",
abstract = "The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic required police officers in England and Wales to enforce new public health restrictions (e.g., stay-at-home directives, social distancing requirements, and mask-mandates), as well as navigate the risk that COVID-19 posed to their own health and safety during interactions with the public. Findings from interviews carried out in 2020 and 2022 with 18 police officers from 11 different forces in England and Wales, suggest that well-established predictors of arrest decisions (e.g., offence severity, evidence, and/or the pursuit of culturally orientated objectives) were disrupted due to broader considerations, uniquely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article uses KeithHawkins{\textquoteright} (2002) conceptual framework of criminal justice decisionmaking – surround, field and frame – as an explanatory device to help us understand arrest and non-arrest decisions of street-level police officers during this period, despite the existence of sufficient evidence to support such action. ",
author = "{De Camargo}, Camilla and Fred Cram",
year = "2025",
month = jun,
day = "11",
doi = "10.1111/hojo.12602",
language = "English",
journal = "Howard Journal of Crime and Justice",
issn = "2059-1098",
publisher = "John Wiley & Sons Inc.",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - 'Dealing with people as we see fit’

T2 - Framing police decisions to (and not to) arrest in the COVID-19 pandemic.

AU - De Camargo, Camilla

AU - Cram, Fred

PY - 2025/6/11

Y1 - 2025/6/11

N2 - The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic required police officers in England and Wales to enforce new public health restrictions (e.g., stay-at-home directives, social distancing requirements, and mask-mandates), as well as navigate the risk that COVID-19 posed to their own health and safety during interactions with the public. Findings from interviews carried out in 2020 and 2022 with 18 police officers from 11 different forces in England and Wales, suggest that well-established predictors of arrest decisions (e.g., offence severity, evidence, and/or the pursuit of culturally orientated objectives) were disrupted due to broader considerations, uniquely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article uses KeithHawkins’ (2002) conceptual framework of criminal justice decisionmaking – surround, field and frame – as an explanatory device to help us understand arrest and non-arrest decisions of street-level police officers during this period, despite the existence of sufficient evidence to support such action.

AB - The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic required police officers in England and Wales to enforce new public health restrictions (e.g., stay-at-home directives, social distancing requirements, and mask-mandates), as well as navigate the risk that COVID-19 posed to their own health and safety during interactions with the public. Findings from interviews carried out in 2020 and 2022 with 18 police officers from 11 different forces in England and Wales, suggest that well-established predictors of arrest decisions (e.g., offence severity, evidence, and/or the pursuit of culturally orientated objectives) were disrupted due to broader considerations, uniquely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article uses KeithHawkins’ (2002) conceptual framework of criminal justice decisionmaking – surround, field and frame – as an explanatory device to help us understand arrest and non-arrest decisions of street-level police officers during this period, despite the existence of sufficient evidence to support such action.

U2 - 10.1111/hojo.12602

DO - 10.1111/hojo.12602

M3 - Journal article

JO - Howard Journal of Crime and Justice

JF - Howard Journal of Crime and Justice

SN - 2059-1098

ER -