Expanding Appropriatee Police Behavior Beyond Procedural Justice: Bounded Authority & the Legitimation of the Law

Abstract

This paper draws upon recent work in the field of legal socialization (Trinkner & Tyler, in press; Tyler & Trinkner, in press) to expand previous conceptualizations of appropriate police behavior beyond procedural justice. The focus of the current study is on the role of bounded authority – i.e. respecting the limits of one’s power – and its association with perceptions of police legitimacy, legal legitimacy, and compliance. Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of US adults, we show that concerns over bounded authority, respectful treatment, and neutral decision-making combine to form a strong predictor of police and legal legitimacy. Additionally, legal legitimacy is associated with greater compliance behavior, even while controlling for personal morality and perceived likelihood of sanctions. Our conclusions address some future directions of research, particularly in the extension of procedural justice theory.