Procedural Justice And Police Officers: The Forgotten Perspective
In recent years, there has been increased attention to questions about police legitimacy and the expectation of citizen compliance. Some scholars argue that procedurally just practices benefit police-citizen interactions (see Mazerolle et al., 2012, 2013). While there are many studies that focus on procedural justice and its effects on the civilian population, there is little research on police officers’ willingness to implement procedurally just practices. This study evaluates police officer perceptions of and willingness to engage in procedural justice using factor analytic techniques. There are four major findings: 1) Police officers are willing to engage in procedural justice, 2) police officers are trained in procedural justice, 3) police officers believe that procedurally just behavior decreases tensions within the community, and 4) Police officers perceive their agency leadership as “buying-in” to procedural justice. While the scope of this study is limited, due to the small sample size (N=68), the implications are numerous.
Law Enforcement, Police Perceptions, Procedural Justice, Criminology and Criminal Justice
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