Do Individual Differences Matter in the Way People View Police Legitimacy? A Partial Replication and Extension of Invariance Thesis

Abstract The invariance thesis of police legitimacy argues that, regardless of individual differences, the more citizens perceive police as procedurally just and effective, the more they will see the police as a legitimate authority. Research primarily undertaken in the USA shows support for the invariance thesis with some nuanced findings for victims and those with prior police contact. This study conducts a partial replication and extension of the Wolfe et al.’s study (Wolfe, S., Nix, J., Kaminski, R., and Rojek, J. (2016). ‘Is the Effect of Procedural Justice on Police Legitimacy Invariant? Testing the Generality of Procedural Justice and Competing Antecedents of Legitimacy.’ Journal of Quantitative Criminology 32(2): 253–282) testing the invariance thesis, comparing the effects of citizen perceptions of procedural justice (PJ) and police effectiveness (PE) on perceptions of police legitimacy across individual characteristics in Australia. Using a survey of 4,167 residents across 148 communities, we find the effects of PJ perceptions on police legitimacy are largely invariant across individual differences. Yet contrary to previous research, our study finds that the impact of PE perceptions is not invariant and particularly matter for people with visible minority status.

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The Link between Communicative Intelligence and Procedural Justice

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies - Handbook of Research on Effective Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9970-0.ch024 ◽

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.

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Perceptions of procedural justice and police legitimacy: A life history perspective

10.26686/wgtn.17059967 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jody Dorgan

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Procedural Justice ◽

Life History Theory ◽

Online Survey ◽

Population Sample ◽

Life History Strategy ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Police Legitimacy ◽

Prior Arrest

<p>Prior research on attitudes towards the police has largely focused on the relationship between demographic factors and perceptions of the police. These studies have produced inconclusive results, and there is no general consensus why and how demographic factors account for individual differences in attitudes towards the police. Life history theory, a “middle-level” evolutionary theory, is one that has largely been neglected in mainstream criminology, but has been used in the current research to explain individual differences in attitudes towards the police. Two studies, both using an online survey, were conducted to explore the extent to which life history strategy explained individual attitudes towards procedural justice, police legitimacy and police socialization after controlling for demographic factors, previous police interaction and prior arrest. Study one, a university sample of 305 participants and study two, a general population sample of 75 Wellington residents both found support for the application of life history theory being used to explain individual differences in attitudes towards the police. Overall, the current research showed that those with a slower life history strategy were more likely hold more positive perceptions of police legitimacy, procedural justice and police socialization regardless of demographic factors, previous police interaction, and prior arrest.</p>

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The Link Between Communicative Intelligence and Procedural Justice

Police Science ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7672-3.ch002 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 10-33

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

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The impact of police contact on trust and police legitimacy in Belgium

Policing & Society ◽

10.1080/10439463.2015.1045510 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 205-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Anjuli Van Damme

Keyword(s):

Police Legitimacy ◽

Police Contact ◽

The Impact

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The feminine sector: explaining the overrepresentation of women in the nonprofit sector in the USA

International Journal of Social Economics ◽

10.1108/ijse-01-2013-0011 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 41 (7) ◽

pp. 556-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Young-joo Lee

Keyword(s):

Nonprofit Sector ◽

Industry Structure ◽

Gender Segregation ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Content Type ◽

For Profit ◽

Salaried Workers ◽

The Usa ◽

Public Sectors ◽

The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that affect a person's choice to work in a specific sector to understand the overrepresentation of women in the nonprofit sector in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – This study views a sector choice of prime-age salaried workers as a three-way choice among for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors. One's choice of employment sector in this study depends on extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, and is also shaped by structural factors. These benefits, in turn, tend to be determined by individual characteristics. Consequently, this study estimated the endogenous switching regression of earnings and sector choice. Findings – Results from 2003 to 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) September supplement data indicate that the so-called “feminine” industries are concentrated in the nonprofit sector, and this gendered industry structure attributes to women's overrepresentation in the sector. The results also suggest that women with more education and experience may choose nonprofit jobs over jobs in the other sector while nonprofit employment is generally associated with negative wage differentials. Research limitations/implications – This study does not model employers’ behaviors while gender segregation and discriminatory hiring practices may have contributed to women's overrepresentation in the nonprofit sector due to the lack of employer-side information in CPS. Consequently, the estimation of sector choice without employer information is likely to suffer from an endogeneity problem. Practical implications – This study highlights the factors affecting the concentration of women in the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit organizations may use the information to better understand their employees. Social implications – The findings suggest that women's sector choice is largely embedded in the industry structure of the nonprofit sector. Originality/value – This study examines a sector choice of prime-age salaried workers as a three way choice, instead of a binary choice, among for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors, which reflects the reality better. Further, this study contributes to the literature on nonprofit employment by testing the impact of nonprofit status on an individual's earnings. Lastly, this study contribute to understanding women's overrepresentation in the nonprofit sector by examining both the structural and utilitarian aspects of sector choice.

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Effects of police agency diversification on officer attitudes

Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/pijpsm-07-2016-0111 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 42-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Megan Alderden ◽

Amy Farrell ◽

William P. McCarty

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

Perceptions Of Fairness ◽

Police Agencies ◽

The Usa ◽

Citizen Perceptions ◽

And Performance ◽

Officer Attitudes ◽

The Impact

Purpose In light of recent calls to increase the diversity of America’s police, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agency and leadership diversification on officer job satisfaction and reported perceptions of fairness within the organization, factors known to influence retention and performance. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 15,236 officers representing 88 agencies was used, as well as other agency- and community-level variables. Multi-level models were used to assess how these individual- and agency-level variables, including measures of diversification, affected job satisfaction and perceptions of fairness. Findings Diversification in agency leadership positions was found to improve perceptions of fairness among all officers, in addition to ameliorating some feelings of unfairness among African-American officers. Diversification of the sworn ranks, in comparison to the population of the community, however, was not found to significantly affect the outcome measures. Research limitations/implications The study only examined the effects of diversification on officer perceptions. Future studies that link measures of diversification to citizen perceptions are needed to understand how members of the public respond to the image and characteristics of sworn personnel in their communities. Practical implications The results indicate the importance of retention and promotion of more diverse leadership in police agencies. Originality/value This study is one of the first to assess the effects of diversification in such a large sample of agencies of all types and sizes throughout the USA.

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Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and Public Cooperation with Police

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0022427816638705 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 454-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Ivan Y. Sun ◽

Yuning Wu ◽

Rong Hu ◽

Ashley K. Farmer

Keyword(s):

Distributive Justice ◽

Procedural Justice ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

Future Research ◽

Police Legitimacy ◽

The Impact ◽

Willingness To Cooperate ◽

Police Effectiveness

Objectives: The principal objective of the current study is to test the applicability of Tom Tyler’s process-based model of policing in China. A secondary objective of this research is to examine the internal consistency and discriminant validity of key composite constructs in Tyler’s model. Methods: Using survey data collected from approximately 1,000 residents in a Chinese city, ordinary least squares regression was employed to assess the direct and indirect (through legitimacy) effects of procedural justice, specific distributive justice, and police effectiveness on willingness to cooperate with the police. Results: The internal consistency and discriminant validity of key composites in Tyler’s original model appear questionable with the Chinese data. Procedural justice, just like in the West, plays a significant role in predicting Chinese views on police legitimacy and willingness to cooperate with the police. Meanwhile, the strongest predictor of Chinese perceptions of police legitimacy is police effectiveness. The impact of both distributive justice and effectiveness on Chinese willingness to cooperate is mainly indirect through police legitimacy. Conclusions: Key arguments of Tyler’s model are largely supported by the Chinese data. Future research needs to develop culture-specific measures to further elaborate Tyler’s process-based model of policing.

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Racial awareness: effects on justice perceptions and trust in management in the USA

Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal ◽

10.1108/edi-05-2013-0036 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 2-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

E. Holly Buttner ◽

Kevin B. Lowe

Keyword(s):

Native American ◽

Procedural Justice ◽

Employee Attitudes ◽

Racial Awareness ◽

Content Type ◽

Organizational Policies ◽

Trust In Management ◽

Justice Perceptions ◽

The Usa ◽

The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the socio-demographic diversity characteristic, racioethnicity, vs the deeper-level socially constructed attribute, awareness of racial privilege (which the authors termed “racial awareness”), on perceptions of organizational justice and on trust in management (TM) (trust) in a US context. The authors predicted that racial awareness would have a greater effect on perceptions of interactional and procedural justice and on trust than would participant racioethnicity. Second, the authors predicted that justice perceptions would influence trust. Finally the authors predicted that justice perceptions would mediate between racial awareness and TM. Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed Black, Hispanic and Native American professionals in one industry in the USA. The authors employed regression and bootstrap analyses to test the hypotheses. Findings – Racial awareness influenced justice ratings and TM. Justice perceptions influenced employee trust. Interactional and procedural justice had indirect effects on the relationship between racial awareness and trust, supporting the hypotheses. Research limitations/implications – Respondents were primarily African-American, so additional research to assess attitudes of other groups is needed. Respondents belonged to a minority networking group which provided the sample. It is possible that their membership sensitized the respondents to racial issues. Practical implications – The finding suggest that managers can positively influence US minority employees’ trust regardless of the employees’ racial awareness by treating them with dignity and respect and by ensuring fairness in the application of organizational policies and procedures. Originality/value – This study examined the impact of US minority employee racial awareness on justice perceptions and TM, important variables in the employer-employee relationship. Findings indicated that racial awareness was a better predictor of employee attitudes than was racioethnicity.

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Police Perceptions of Their External Legitimacy in High and Low Crime Areas of the Community

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0011128715620627 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 63 (10) ◽

pp. 1250-1278 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Justin Nix

Keyword(s):

Distributive Justice ◽

Procedural Justice ◽

Police Officers ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Police Legitimacy ◽

Police Perceptions ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Citizen Perceptions

Until recently, police legitimacy research has primarily focused on citizen perceptions of the police. However, it may be that the police believe citizens associate other factors, such as distributive justice or performance, with legitimacy. The present study adds to the literature by surveying a nationally representative sample of U.S. police officers about how they believe citizens residing in high and low crime areas of the community evaluate police in terms of legitimacy. Findings suggest that respondents believe procedural justice and distributive justice are important to citizens of both areas in terms of generating trust. At the same time, respondents believe that citizens of high and low crime areas feel obligated to obey the police for different reasons.

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