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.

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.

Does Trust in Citizens Mediate the Relationship Between Internal and External Procedural Justice: A Comparison Between China and Taiwan Police

2020 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2094692
Author(s):  
Ivan Y. Sun ◽  
Jianhong Liu ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Maarten Van Craen
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Research And Policy

This study investigates the roles of trust in citizens and compliance with agency policies in mediating the direct and indirect relationships between internal procedural justice and external procedural justice among Chinese and Taiwanese police officers. Based on survey data collected from 1,253 police officers, this study comparatively analyzes whether supervisory treatment of officers is predictive of trust in citizens and willingness to follow agency policies, which in turn is linked to their willingness to act fairly and justly toward citizens on the street. The results indicate that officer trust in citizens mediates the relationship between internal and external procedural justice in both China and Taiwan, but compliance with agency policies does not. Internal procedural justice directly predicts external procedural justice among Taiwanese officers, but such a connection is not found among Chinese officers. Implications for future research and policy 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.

scholarly journals Representations of Policing Problems and Body-Worn Cameras in Existing Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 105756772110208
Author(s):  
Christel Backman ◽  
Cecilia Hansen Löfstrand
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Blind Review ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
Problem Representations

In this article, we analyze scholarly publications on body-worn cameras (BWCs) to shed light on scholars’ grounding assumptions about BWC technology and the policing problems assumed to be amended by it. We conducted a systematic search and a double-blind review, including 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, and analyzed how scholars warrant their studies, their findings and their recommendations. We found that BWC research largely investigates the effectiveness of BWCs worn by police officers in the United States and build upon a set of dominant policing problem representations: the police crisis in the United States and the police use of force, lack of oversight and control of police officers, citizen dissatisfaction and lack of police legitimacy, and police officer resistance toward BWC use. Assumptions underlying all four problem representations is that BWC technology will amend these problems and is legitimate and useful if the public supports it. Taken together, this enhances the representation of BWC technology as a self-evident means of improving community relations and police legitimacy in the United States. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research on BWCs, particularly the need for research departing from altogether different problem representations.

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.

Illuminating the Concept of Community (Group)-Level Procedural Justice: A Qualitative Analysis of Protestors’ Group-Level Experiences With the Police

2020 ◽  
pp. 009385482098338
Author(s):  
Tal Jonathan-Zamir ◽  
Gali Perry ◽  
David Weisburd
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Intergroup Dynamics ◽  
Community Group ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Constituent Elements ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Precise Content

“Procedural justice” (PJ) has traditionally been thought of as an intragroup model, characterizing interpersonal interactions between police officers and specific individuals. O’Brien et al. recently proposed that PJ is also a useful framework for examining intergroup dynamics, and can thus be used to typify interactions between the police and communities/social groups as a whole. Yet, as a novel construct, its precise content remains unclear. We use qualitative, in-depth interviews with individuals who encountered police as a group of protestors, to illuminate the constituent elements of group-level PJ. We identify four concerns with group-level treatment: respect for the existence and cause of the group, partnership with the group, recognizing the individual within the group, and displaying the “right” motivation: allowing group activities to take place safely. We discuss the implications of our findings, arguing that they pave the way for more exhaustive modeling of the fairness embedded in authorities’ treatment.

scholarly journals Effect Of Body-Worn Cameras On African-American Perceptions Of Police Performance And Fairness

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-56
Author(s):  
Yolanda Smith
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Police Performance ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
American Adult ◽  
Perceptions Of Police

This research study examined the effect of body-worn cameras on African American perceptions of police performance and fairness to gain a well-rounded understanding of the public's perception of body-worn cameras. Prior research involving police body-worn cameras focused on police use of force and community perceptions. Limitations within previous research call for further investigation into African American perceptions of the police and consider the role body-worn cameras play in affecting that perception. Using procedural justice theory, I focused on body-worn cameras and their effect on African-American perceptions of police performance and fairness. Employing a quantitative, non-experimental research design and surveying 124 African-American adult participants 18 years and older, I found that African-Americans favor police officers who wear body-worn cameras. Future research suggests incorporating a greater sample size, thereby strengthening the validity and improving generalizability. Policy implications suggest that studying body-worn cameras may add additional research to the knowledge base and help law enforcement understand the relationship between police officers who wear body-worn cameras and African-Americans perceptions of police treatment when body-worn cameras are present. Keywords: African-American, body-worn cameras, police performance, fairness, procedural justice

scholarly journals Fear and Legitimacy in São Paulo, Brazil: Police-Citizen Relations in a High Violence, High Fear City

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Jackson ◽  
Krisztián Pósch ◽  
Thiago Rodrigues Oliveira ◽  
Ben Bradford ◽  
Silvia M. Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Cultural Currency ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Right ◽  
Similarity And Difference

In this paper we examine consensual and coercive police-citizen relations in São Paulo, Brazil. According to procedural justice theory, legitimacy operates as part of a virtuous circle, whereby normatively appropriate police behavior encourages people to self-regulate, and self-regulation then reduces the need for coercive forms of social control. But can consensual and coercive police-citizen policies be so easily disentangled in a city in which many people fear crime, where some people fear police but tolerate extreme police violence, and where the image of the police as “just another (violent) gang” seems still to have significant cultural currency? Legitimacy has two components—the right to power and the authority to govern—and consistent with prior work from the US, UK and Australia, we find that procedural justice is the stronger predictor of the perceived right to power. Yet, fear of the police and multiple motives to obey and disobey the police complicate the observed empirical link between legitimacy and legal compliance. Our analysis of the composition, predictors and potential consequences of police legitimacy highlights points of similarity and difference in this high violence, high fear city of the Global South.

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.

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