Shared Race/Ethnicity With Police and Male Offenders’ Self-Regulating Beliefs: Exploring the Salience of Instrumental and Normative Factors for Securing Obedience

Abstract

This study examines the impact of shared race/ethnicity with police on male offenders’ perceptions of voice, procedural justice, and obligation to obey. In addition to exploring propositions of the process-based model of self-regulation, this study also examines elements of sanction-based models of social control. Findings indicate that respondents who shared the race/ethnicity with police experienced more voice and a greater obligation to obey. In addition, male offenders who perceived the police as more procedurally just reported significantly greater obligation to obey while perceived certainty of arrest and ambiguity of arrest risk were not significantly related to respondent’s self-regulating beliefs.