Examining the Effects of Procedural Justice and Utilitarian Assessments of Police on Racial Differences in Legitimacy Assessments

Abstract:

Discourse on the perceived effectiveness, legitimacy, and justice of law enforcement is prevalent in the United States. Criminologists have long debated the utility of the instrumental and procedural justice models of policing for shaping citizens’ legitimacy assessments. Advocates of the instrumental model believe that utilitarian assessments of police matter most in shaping public opinion. Proponents of the procedural justice model argue that how officers treat citizens in interactions matters more for shaping perceptions of law enforcement than the outcomes received during interactions with police officers or utilitarian assessments of law enforcement. Pilot research conducted by our research lab in Pennsylvania showed that collectively these two models work together to explain racial differences in police legitimacy assessments. Building on this literature base, the current study uses nationally representative survey data (n = 1,093) to test the robustness of these findings by seeing if, and to what extent, instrumental and procedural justice assessments of law enforcement can be used to explain racial differences in legitimacy assessments of police officers. Theoretical and policy implications based on findings will be discussed.