Public Satisfaction With Police: Using Procedural Justice to Improve Police Legitimacy

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Hinds ◽  
Kristina Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Satisfaction With Police

Public Satisfaction With Police: The Importance of Procedural Justice and Police Performance in Police-Citizen Encounters

2009 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murphy Kristina
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Police Performance ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Satisfaction With Police

Alarge body of literature has demonstrated that when authorities use procedural justice with those they regulate, people will be more satisfied with those authorities and will be more willing to cooperate and comply with their directions and rules. In the context of policing, procedural justice has also been shown to be important for shaping citizens' views about police legitimacy, their satisfaction with police and also in fostering cooperation with police. What remains largely unexamined, however, is whether the positive effect of procedural justice varies across different types of police-citizen encounters. Using survey data collected from a national sample of 1,462 Australians, the present study will examine the relative importance of procedural justice on overall ratings of police satisfaction across two types of police-citizen encounters (citizen-initiated contacts and police-initiated contacts). It will be shown that procedural justice is most important in police-initiated contacts, while police performance is most important in citizen-initiated contacts.

Willingness to cooperate with police: A population-based study of Australian young adult illicit stimulant users

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen M Leslie ◽  
Adrian Cherney ◽  
Andrew Smirnov ◽  
Helene Wells ◽  
Robert Kemp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Willingness To Cooperate

While procedural justice has been highlighted as a key strategy for promoting cooperation with police, little is known about this model’s applicability to subgroups engaged in illegal behaviour, such as illicit drug users. This study compares willingness to cooperate with police and belief in police legitimacy, procedural justice and law legitimacy among a population-based sample of Australian young adult amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS; i.e. ecstasy and methamphetamine) users and non-users. We then examine predictors of willingness to cooperate among ATS users. ATS users were significantly less willing to cooperate with police and had significantly lower perceptions of police legitimacy, procedural justice and law legitimacy, compared to non-users. However, belief in police legitimacy independently predicted willingness to cooperate among ATS users. We set out to discuss the implications of these findings for policing, including the role of procedural justice in helping police deliver harm reduction strategies.

The Link between Communicative Intelligence and Procedural Justice

2016 ◽  
pp. 456-478
Author(s):  
Renée J. Mitchell ◽  
Kendall Von Zoller
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Social Arrangement ◽  
Police Contact ◽  
Psychological Property ◽  
Perception Of Police

The public's perception of police legitimacy is viewed through the lens of procedural justice (Tyler, 2003). Legitimacy it is a perception held by an audience (Tankebe & Liebling, 2013). Tyler (2006, p. 375) defines legitimacy as “a psychological property of an authority, institution, or social arrangement that leads those connected to it to believe that it is appropriate, proper, and just.” Four aspects of the police contact that affects a citizen's view: active participation in the decision-making, the decision-making is neutral and objective, trustworthy motives, and being treated with dignity and respect (Tyler, 2004). Accordingly an officer should act in a way that supports citizen's active participation, conveys an air of neutrality, and enhances dignity and respect. One way an officer can transmit his intent is through communicative intelligence. Communicative intelligence is a communication theory based on five capabilities (Zoller, 2015). These authors intend to link communicative intelligence to behaviors officers should engage in to enhance PJ and improve PL.

The Effects of Justice Judgments on Police Legitimacy Across Urban Neighborhoods: A Test of the Invariance Thesis

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872097743
Author(s):  
Michael D. Reisig ◽  
Michaela Flippin ◽  
Gorazd Meško ◽  
Rick Trinkner
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Neighborhood Context ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Fairness Judgments ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
High Crime ◽  
Justice Judgments ◽  
Legitimacy Beliefs

The invariance thesis posits that the effects of procedural justice judgments on police legitimacy beliefs are consistent across a variety of contexts, including urban neighborhoods. An alternative argument, one steeped in the relational model of authority, holds that procedural justice effects are weaker in high-crime communities where residents do not identify with the police and where they place more weight on instrumental concerns. This study used survey data from 1,000 adults in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The regression models showed that the association between procedural justice and police legitimacy was stronger in low-risk neighborhoods. In high-risk areas, distributive justice was a stronger correlate of legitimacy. Overall, the findings highlight how neighborhood context can moderate the influence of fairness judgments on supportive beliefs.

Moral motives, police legitimacy and acceptance of force

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 799-815
Author(s):  
Jasmine R. Silver
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Moral Motive

PurposeThis study extends legitimacy theory by examining individualizing and binding moral motives and perceptions of police.Design/methodology/approachData are drawn from an online survey of the public (N = 961). OLS regression is used to predict global perceptions of legitimacy, as well as department legitimacy and acceptance of force in an experimental vignette that manipulates procedural justice.FindingsThe binding moral motive is associated with greater global and department legitimacy and acceptance of force. The individualizing moral motive is associated with reduced global legitimacy and acceptance of force, and with department legitimacy when procedural justice is low. Perceptions of legitimacy mediate the effects of the binding moral motive on acceptance of force and of the individualizing moral motive when procedural justice is low.Research limitations/implicationsThis study identifies novel antecedents of police legitimacy and acceptance of force (i.e. binding and individualizing moral motives).Social implicationsThis study provides insight into public attitudes regarding use of force.Originality/valueThis study is the first to propose and test a link between binding and individualizing moral motives and perceptions of police.

Do the Means Matter? Defense Attorneys’ Perceptions of Procedural Transgressions by Police and Their Implication on Police Legitimacy

2020 ◽  
pp. 088740342091525
Author(s):  
Siyu Liu ◽  
Esther Nir
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Defense Attorneys ◽  
Northeastern State ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
Police Effectiveness

Through interviews ( n = 40) and surveys ( n = 140) with separate samples of U.S. defense attorneys practicing criminal law in a Northeastern state, we utilize a mixed-methods approach to explore police procedural transgressions (e.g., pretextual stops, overreaching searches) during stops, searches, and seizures. With a structural equation path model, we examine whether and how procedural justice (an assessment of “the means” to control crime) and police effectiveness (an assessment of police performance or “the ends”) affect each other and influence perceptions of police legitimacy. Our findings indicate that procedural justice enhances perceptions of police legitimacy, whereas police effectiveness does not have an effect. Policy implications for developing mechanisms that discourage procedural transgressions by police are discussed.

How Do the Components of Procedural Justice and Driver Race Influence Encounter-Specific Perceptions of Police Legitimacy During Traffic Stops?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1200-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Starr J. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Influence Perceptions

Procedural justice is often recognized as the key antecedent of police legitimacy. However, less is known about how the components of procedural justice, treatment and decision-making quality, influence perceptions of police legitimacy. This study utilizes a 2 × 2 × 2 survey experiment to explore the direct effects of the components of procedural justice, and the moderating effects of driver race, on perceptions of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy. Results indicate that treatment quality is a more salient predictor of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy than decision-making quality. In addition, simple effects analyses reveal that driver race moderates perceptions of encounter-specific fairness but not encounter-specific perceptions of legitimacy. The findings imply that police officers should emphasize respectful treatment during encounters with the public.

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