Shaping Citizen Perceptions of Police Legitimacy: A Randomized Field Trial of Procedural Justice

Criminology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Mazerolle ◽  
Emma Antrobus ◽  
Sarah Bennett ◽  
Tom R. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Randomized Field Trial ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Citizen Perceptions

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.

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

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Zahnow ◽  
Lorraine Mazerolle ◽  
Alicia Pang
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
Partial Replication ◽  
Police Contact ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Citizen Perceptions ◽  
The Impact

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.

Policing immigrants: Using a randomized control trial of procedural justice policing to promote trust and cooperation

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Murphy ◽  
Lorraine Mazerolle
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Randomized Control Trial ◽  
Immigrant Status ◽  
Randomized Field Trial ◽  
Randomized Control ◽  
Willingness To Report ◽  
Positive Effect

Immigrants are often less trusting of police than non-immigrants because they can feel ill-served by police and the laws they enforce. Procedural justice policing has been regarded as central to improving public trust and confidence in police. Using survey data from citizens exposed to the world’s first randomized field trial of procedural justice policing (Queensland Community Engagement Trial), we found that trust in police, but not willingness to report crime to police, was higher among those exposed to the procedural justice condition compared to the control condition. Interestingly, the effect of procedural justice on trust and crime reporting was moderated by age and immigrant status; procedural justice had a more positive effect for immigrants, particularly those younger than 26 years of age.

Counter-terrorism measures and perceptions of police legitimacy: The importance Muslims place on procedural justice, representative bureaucracy, and bounded-authority concerns

2021 ◽  
pp. 263380762110309
Author(s):  
Mohammed M. Ali ◽  
Kristina Murphy ◽  
Adrian Cherney
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Police Practice ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Terrorism Prevention

Engaging Muslims in counter-terrorism (CT) has proved challenging for police worldwide. Some research has focussed on the utility of police being procedurally just in their CT strategies to enhance their legitimacy and subsequent cooperation from Muslims. Despite the efficacy of procedural justice, however, some have argued that procedural justice scholarship is too narrowly focussed on how police treat citizens. Citizens’ concerns about police acting within the limits of appropriate power (i.e., “bounded-authority” concerns), as well as representativeness in policing (i.e., “representative bureaucracy”), can also influence citizens’ judgments of police legitimacy. This study explores how, when, and why procedural justice, bounded authority, and representation concerns shape Muslims’ perceptions of police CT measures and police legitimacy. Using focus group data from 104 Australian-Muslims, results revealed that CT measures that include Muslims as partners in terrorism prevention and those that draw on principles of procedural justice were perceived most favourably, and were seen to promote police legitimacy. Measures that were condemned were perceived as bounded-authority violations and damaged police legitimacy. Implications for theory and police practice are discussed.

Do the Police Believe That Legitimacy Promotes Cooperation From the Public?

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 951-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Nix
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legitimate Authority ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Executives ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Using Data

Tyler’s process-based model of regulation suggests that when citizens perceive the police as a legitimate authority, they are more likely to cooperate in the form of reporting crimes and providing information to the police. Yet most studies have considered citizens’ perceptions of police legitimacy—few studies have asked the police what they feel makes them legitimate in the eyes of the public. Likewise, no studies have considered whether the police believe legitimacy is associated with cooperation from the public. The present study addresses this gap using data from a stratified sample of U.S. police executives. Findings suggest police believe performance, rather than procedural justice, is the key to generating cooperation from the public.

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