An application of the integrated framework of legitimacy to the state courts context

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe current study uses data collected from defendants immediately after their hearings to test hypotheses regarding the relations among constructs relevant to perceptions of the state courts. Taking the Integrated Framework of Legitimacy as its guide, this research hypothesizes that trustworthiness assessments will mediate the effect of procedural fairness (as experienced from both the judge and court staff), distributive justice, and court performance on trust which will then mediate the effect of trustworthiness on willingness to engage. This research therefore contributes to the literature a test of the propositions of the framework in the state court context but further advances the literature by testing the invariance of the model across race, gender, and incarceration status. Thus, the current work tests differences, not only in the levels of these constructs but also in the magnitude and existence of relations among them, a generally overlooked aspect of courts research.