Public perceptions of courts and cooperation with police

Abstract

The police depend upon public cooperation to effectively control crime. Understanding factors that impact people’s willingness to cooperate with the police is thus an important area of empirical research. Drawing upon survey data from a sample of adults (N = 364), we employ a series of regression models to explore the relationship between participants’ perceptions of courts and their willingness to cooperate with the police. Our analyses reveal that participants’ perceptions of courts are associated with their willingness to report crime to the police, particularly minor crime, but not their willingness to assist the police if asked. We discuss our results with respect to discretionary crime reporting, the measurement of cooperation with police, and the nature of interventions aimed at enhancing criminal justice perceptions.