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Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy: Evidence from a Vignette Experiment in Central America

Author

Listed:
  • Perez-Vincent, Santiago M.
  • Puebla, David

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of procedural justice and sanctions on police legitimacy in a middle-income context using a between-subjects vignette experiment among civilians and police officers in Honduras. The scenarios involved civilian--police interactions following a minor infraction, varying in whether the police officer treated the civilian respectfully or disrespectfully, and whether a sanction (fine) was imposed. Respectful treatment increased satisfaction, acceptance of decisions, and willingness to cooperate, while sanctions had the opposite effects on these variables. Sanctions lowered the perceived likelihood of repeating the infraction, whereas respectful treatment had no effect on it. Results were similar for civilians and police officers, though officers assigned greater importance to procedural justice. The study concludes that, while sanctions deter repeated infractions, they can erode legitimacy if not applied respectfully, highlighting the importance of procedural justice in civilian--police interactions. The positive impact of procedural justice among both civilians and officers perceptions supports the desirability and feasibility of its application in this context.

Suggested Citation

  • Perez-Vincent, Santiago M. & Puebla, David, 2024. "Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy: Evidence from a Vignette Experiment in Central America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13626, Inter-American Development Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:13626
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0013056
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Son, In Soo & Davis, Mark S. & Rome, Dennis M., 1998. "Race and its effect on police officers' perceptions of misconduct," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 21-28.
    2. Gobena, Lemessa Bayissa & Van Dijke, Marius, 2017. "Fear and caring: Procedural justice, trust, and collective identification as antecedents of voluntary tax compliance," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-16.
    3. Anqi Zhao & Peng Ding, 2022. "Regression-based causal inference with factorial experiments: estimands, model specifications and design-based properties [Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experim," Biometrika, Biometrika Trust, vol. 109(3), pages 799-815.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Keywords: procedural justice; legitimacy; police; vignettes; Central America; honduras;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K20 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - General
    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government

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