Chivalry and Arrests

Abstract

Chivalry refers to a system of social norms between genders where men act as the protectors of women. Throughout the twentieth century, criminologists proposed that agents of the male‐dominated criminal justice system act upon chivalrous codes of behavior resulting in more lenient treatment of female offenders. Studies examining arrests and police decision‐making processes in reference to female offending are inconsistent, leaving the extent and magnitude of chivalry during the arrest process still unclear.