Procedural Justice Among Youthful Offenders: The Connection Between Unjust Treatment, Institutional Legitimacy, and Misconduct

• In Event: Special Populations Behind Bars

Abstract

Prior research has established a relationship between procedural justice and crime commission (Tyler, 2006) and procedural justice and institutional misconduct (Reisig & Mesko, 2009). This study seeks to advance the research regarding the effects of perceptions of treatment by legitimate authority figures by examining the predictive accuracy of this relationship using a sample of incarcerated youthful offenders. It is hypothesized that the youthful offenders who report unjust, and otherwise negative, treatment from staff are significantly more likely to view the institution as illegitimate, therefore increasing the likelihood they will engage in misconduct while institutionalized. To address the research question, survey data from a sample of youthful offenders currently institutionalized in a jail or prison facility will be used. The main policy implication of the current research suggests that promoting justice and fairness in communications between facility staff, both detention officers and otherwise, and youthful offenders in secure custodial facilities could be a cost-effective strategy to increase perceptions of institutional legitimacy and curb institutional misconduct.

Authors

• Katherine A. Ginsburg, Arizona State University

• Marie L. Griffin, Arizona State University