Residents’ Perceptions of Procedural Injustice During Encounters With the Police

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to refine researchers’ understanding of procedural injustice. Specifically, hypotheses were tested to determine the influence that race, type of contact, place of encounter, and community context had on individuals’ perceptions of procedural injustice. Using data collected in 2002, Chicago residents were surveyed regarding their perceptions of fairness in the process and the appropriateness of officers’ behavior during their most recent contact with the police. The findings suggested that although minorities were more likely than Whites to be stopped by the police and to be stopped outside their neighborhood, racial differences in assessments of procedural injustice were greatest for encounters that were initiated by the resident and occurred inside his or her community. The largest disparities appeared to be between Latinos and Whites who resided in more affluent communities. Furthermore, regardless of other factors, police–citizen encounters that occurred inside the neighborhood were consistently characterized by greater perceptions of procedural injustice. These results have important implications for researchers who are trying to identify differences in how residents evaluate police–citizen encounters and for policymakers who are attempting to improve police legitimacy through the fairness model of policing.