Technology Difficulties, Media Challenges, Supervisor Justice, and External Procedural Justice among Chinese Police Officers

• In Event: Procedural Justice, Media, and Technology in Chinese Policing (Sponsored by Division of Policing)

Abstract

Technology and social media have undeniably revolutionized law enforcement operations, providing tools for surveillance, data analysis, and crime prevention. However, their integration into police practices also brings additional burdens, challenges, and risks. Moreover, the rapid spread of media misinformation can potentially complicate investigations, thereby increasing job-related stress among officers. While previous research has connected officers’ perceived fairness and consistency of procedures within police organizations to their treatment of community members, the roles of technology and media difficulties on officers’ external procedural justice remain unclear. This study seeks to address these identified research gaps. Relying on survey data from 1,944 police officers working in two provinces of China, this study conducted ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine the impacts of key independent variables on officers’ external procedural justice. Results indicate that officers who perceive higher organizational support for technology and supervisor justice, lower technology risks, and lower media distortion tend to exhibit higher external procedural justice toward the public.

Authors

• Ethan Jian, University of Delaware

• Ivan Sun, University of Delaware