Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.C.J. in Criminal Justice

Department

Legal Studies

First Advisor

Kimberly A. Kaiser

Second Advisor

Francis Boateng

Third Advisor

Linda Keena

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

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.

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