The Role of Procedural Justice and Legitimacy on Compliance Behavior

• In Event: Predicting Cooperation with Police and Compliance with the Law

Abstract

Procedural justice and police legitimacy have been identified as an important domain in the study of policing. While a majority of prior studies on police legitimacy have been tested in Western countries, little empirical research has been conducted on citizens’ law-abiding behavior and public support for the police focusing on the role of procedural justice and legitimacy in Asian contexts. Using a sample of Korean citizens, this study replicates Tyler’s process-based model of policing and examines whether procedural justice and legitimacy have a positive impact on compliance behavior and public support for the police. The results indicate that procedural fairness and quality of treatment significantly affect law-abiding behavior and public support for policing. Implications for further research and public policies are discussed.

Authors

• Youngki Woo, Washington State University

• Yumi Lee, Kyonggi University

• EuiGab Hwang, Kyonggi University