Neighborhood cohesion and procedural justice in policing among Black adults: The moderating role of cultural race-related stress.

Abstract

This study explored how neighborhood cohesion is related to perceptions of procedural justice in policing, and the moderating role of cultural race-related stress among Black adults. We conducted hierarchical regression analyses of a US sample of Black adults (N = 604) to examine if neighborhood cohesion and cultural race-related stress relate to global procedural justice in policing and procedural justice during a critical police stop. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine if cultural race-related stress strengthens or weakens the relationship between neighborhood cohesion and procedural justice in policing. Neighborhood cohesion was positively related to procedural justice at critical stops. For participants with above average stress from cultural racism, positive neighborhood cohesion was related to greater global perceptions of procedural justice in policing. Altogether, these findings highlight how structural and local environmental factors can influence perceptions of police among Black adults in the US.