Arrest and Coercion

Abstract

In recent years, the question of arrest has been at the forefront of global attention, with mass protests across the world against the inappropriate, discriminatory and brutal exercise of this formidable coercive power.1 At the same time, research in some jurisdictions has revealed a progressive ‘de-coupling’ between the practice of arrest and the core objectives of criminal justice2 so that in many countries arrest has instead become associated with mere intimidation, summary punishment or satisfying the public enraged by a crime.3 The selection of candidates for arrest by some forces seems to be based more on ‘people with particular appearances, behavior and demeanor’4 than on suspicion of offending or culpability5 and recent studies, which we will review below, have also demonstrated gross inequalities in terms of ethnicity and social class.