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

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 1250-1278 ◽  
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.

Procedural Justice, Distributive Justice: How Experiences With Downsizing Condition Their Impact On Organizational Commitment

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Clay-Warner ◽  
Karen A. Hegtvedt ◽  
Paul Roman
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Distributive Justice ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Work Attitudes ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Prior Experiences ◽  
Relative Salience

Previous research demonstrates that both procedural justice and distributive justice are important predictors of work attitudes. This research, however, fails to examine conditions that affect the relative importance of each type of justice. Here we argue that prior experiences with regard to downsizing shape individuals' workplace schemas, which in turn affect the relative salience of each type of justice for organizational commitment. We test hypotheses using data from a nationally representative sample of workers. Only distributive justice predicts organizational commitment among victims of downsizing, while procedural justice is the stronger predictor among survivors of downsizing and unaffected workers. Comparisons across models indicate that procedural justice is a more important predictor of organizational commitment for survivors and unaffected workers than for victims, while distributive justice is more important for victims than for either survivors or unaffected workers. We conclude by discussing the theoretical implications of our findings.

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.

Have Ferguson and Its Companions Contaminated Black Support for Legal Institutions?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Gibson ◽  
Michael J. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Legal Institutions ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
High Bench ◽  
The U.S

Given that African Americans have been victimized by the abuses of individual police officers as well as by discriminatory public policies such as “stop-and-frisk,” it is no surprise that considerable alienation seems to characterize the contemporary relationship between African Americans and the legal institutions that govern them. But have those attitudes poisoned more general views of legal institutions such as the U.S. Supreme Court? Using a nationally-representative sample of African Americans, we assess whether blacks generalize from their experiences with local authorities to perceptions of legal system fairness, and further to institutional support for the high bench. While we find that perceptions of legal system fairness have not undermined Supreme Court legitimacy, all of the relationships we consider are found to be conditional upon the nature of group attachments.

Double-Bind on the Bench: Citizen Perceptions of Judge Gender and the Court

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 235-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjersten Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
Double Bind ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Gender And Politics ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Citizen Perceptions

Scholars of gender and politics have long discussed the various manifestations of the “double-bind” for women who seek political leadership. Using a survey experiment with a nationally representative sample, this article examines whether this double-bind exists for female judges. The study reveals that while gender stereotypes are not uniformly applied to female judges, women on the bench are assessed differently in terms of their empathy and knowledge under certain circumstances. The article then discusses the potential implications of these gendered assessments for perceptions of the court, its actions, and women who aspire to judicial roles.

Understanding the Role of Race and Procedural Justice on the Support for Police Body-Worn Cameras and Reporting Crime

2021 ◽  
pp. 073401682110227
Author(s):  
Timothy Ikenna Lawrence ◽  
Ariel Mcfield ◽  
Kamilah Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Mixed Support ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Mediation Moderation

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) among police officers have garnered mixed support among community members. On the one hand, proponents of BWCs contend that there are benefits of BWCs such as reduction of complaints, increase legitimacy, decrease unlawful shootings, and increase transparency. On the other, certain community members maintain less support for BWCs, citing that while police officers wear BWCs, it violates police–citizen interaction privacy. Although there is mixed support for BWCs among community members, little is known as to whether race plays a role in support for BWCs and whether confidence in the police relates to reporting crime/procedural justice, leading to support for BWCs. The current study used two mediation moderation analyses to examine whether race moderated the relationship between confidence in the police and reporting crime/procedural justice, leading to support for BWCs while controlling for police legitimacy and effectiveness. The first model suggests that race moderated the relationship between confidence in the police and reporting crime but not the relationship between reporting crime and support for BWCs. The second model revealed that race did not moderate the relationship between confidence in the police and procedural justice. Also, race did not moderate the relationship between procedural justice and support for BWCs. Implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Legitimacy, trust and legal cynicism: a review of concepts

Tempo Social ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-145
Author(s):  
Thiago R. Oliveira ◽  
Jonathan Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legal Authority ◽  
Legal Cynicism ◽  
Relational Messages ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Life Course

We review the concepts of legitimacy,  trust, and legal cynicism in the context the debate about police legitimacy,  discuss the extent to which these  concepts relate to each other, and  offer some early, speculative thoughts  on a how relational model of  legitimacy can extend beyond  procedural justice concerns. Relying  upon procedural justice theory, we  emphasise the distinction between police legitimacy and legitimation:  popular legitimacy is defined as public  beliefs that legal authority has the  right to rule (people acknowledge the oral appropriateness of legal  authority) and the authority to govern (people recognise legal authority as  the rightful authority), whereas legitimation is related to the criteria people use to judge the normative appropriateness of legal agents’ exercise of power (e.g., the extent to which police officers are trustworthy to behave in accordance with people’s normative expectations). Building on studies on legal cynicism and legal socialisation, we consider how other aspects of police conduct can send negative relational messages about people’s value within society and undermine their judgements about the legitimacy of legal authority – messages of oppression,  marginalisation, and neglect over the life course. We conclude suggesting avenues for future research on public-police relations.

scholarly journals Legitimacy, trust and legal cynicism: A review of concepts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Rodrigues Oliveira ◽  
Jonathan Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Legal Authority ◽  
Legal Cynicism ◽  
Relational Messages ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Life Course

We review the concepts of legitimacy, trust, and legal cynicism in the context the debate about police legitimacy, discuss the extent to which these concepts relate to each other, and offer some early, speculative thoughts on a how relational model of legitimacy can extend beyond procedural justice concerns. Relying upon procedural justice theory, we emphasise the distinction between police legitimacy and legitimation: popular legitimacy is defined as public beliefs that legal authority has the right to rule (people acknowledge the moral appropriateness of legal authority) and the authority to govern (people recognise legal authority as the rightful authority), whereas legitimation is related to the criteria people use to judge the normative appropriateness of legal agents’ exercise of power (e.g., the extent to which police officers are trustworthy to behave in accordance with people’s normative expectations). Building on studies on legal cynicism and legal socialisation, we consider how other aspects of police conduct can send negative relational messages about people’s value within society and undermine their judgements about the legitimacy of legal authority – messages of oppression, marginalisation, and neglect over the life course. We conclude suggesting avenues for future research on public-police relations.

scholarly journals On the justification of intergroup violence: The roles of procedural justice, police legitimacy and group identity in attitudes towards violence among indigenous people

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica M Gerber ◽  
Roberto Gonzalez ◽  
Héctor Carvacho ◽  
Gloria Jiménez-Moya ◽  
Cristóbal Moya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Group Identity ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Police Violence ◽  
Indigenous Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Indigenous Minority

Objective: Why do people justify intergroup violence? In this paper we examine attitudes towards violence perpetrated by indigenous activists to claim for rights and violence by pólice officers against indigenous people. We assess the role that perceived pólice legitimacy, procedurally just policing towards the indigenous minority group and group identity play in the justification of intergroup violence. Method: We present findings from two surveys (Study 1, n=1493, Study 2, n=198) and an experiment (Study 3, n=76) conducted among indigenous people in Chile. Studies 1 and 2 measure perceptions of police procedural justice towards indigenous people. Study 3 manipulates the fairness with which police officers treat indigenous people. Effects of procedural justice on police legitimacy (Studies 2 and 3) and attitudes towards violence for social change and social control (Studies 1-3) are analyzed. Result: Higher perceptions of procedurally just policing towards indigenous people predict more support for police violence and less support for violence perpetrated by indigenous activists. These effects are mediated by perceived police legitimacy and moderated by identification with the minority group. Among people who identify strongly with their indigenous group, perceiving high procedural justice predicts greater police legitimacy, greater support for police violence, and lesser support for violence perpetrated by indigenous activists. Conclusions: Findings contribute to an emerging literature on the roles of procedural justice and legitimacy in violence perceptions. Fair, respectful and neutral treatment of pólice officers may reduce the support for violence among minority group members and increase trust in the violence used by police officers.

Good Policing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Hough
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Justice Theory ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
The Public ◽  
Police Contacts ◽  
The Law

This book conveys the ideas behind procedural justice theory as they apply to policing. It sets out important but complex ideas in jargon-free language to non-specialist readers with an interest in policing – including serving police officers and police recruits as they embark on a degree-level entry programme into the police service. The book’s main message is that public trust in the police builds police legitimacy, and people comply with the law and cooperate with the police when they see the police as legitimate. It argues that public trust in the police serves as the bedrock of police legitimacy. Procedural justice theory provides an account of the reasons why people obey the law that stresses the importance of fair and respectful treatment of the public, and an alignment between policing practice and people’s moral standards. It provides a narrative about crime control that questions the tough ‘no-nonsense’ solutions that politicians often reach for when crime problems emerge. The book’s main policy recommendations are that policing strategies and tactics should always be assessed against criteria of legitimacy, and that the quality of treatment in police contacts with the public is one of the keys to good policing.

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