Exploring Perceptions of Police Legitimacy: The Role of Family, Friends, and Procedural Justice

Abstract

Since its inception in 1990, Tyler's process-based model of regulation has provided a fundamental framework for understanding why people obey the law. Numerous studies have found support for Tyler's process-based model of regulation, with the majority of research reporting an association between procedural justice and legitimacy. The research is limited, however, in its ability to explain the correlates of legitimacy outside of procedural justice, which is surprising considering research indicates that the development of behaviors and attitudes toward legal institutions and actors is complex. Based on the legal socialization literature, the current study explores how perceptions of police legitimacy may be impacted by family and/or peer views of the police. In order to investigate this relationship, the current exploratory study relies on data from students located at two universities in the United States. The results suggest that family views, peer views, and procedural justice are all significantly related to perceived police legitimacy. These findings are explored and contextualized in the broader literature on police legitimacy.