Development and Validation of Multidimensional Measures of Public Confidence in Law Enforcement and the Courts

• In Event: Law, Courts, and Public Perspectives on Crime, Punishment, and Justice

Abstract

Despite a substantial body of research examining public attitudes towards law enforcement and the courts, robust measures for assessing public confidence in these institutions remain limited. Drawing on Packer’s crime control and due process models of criminal justice, the present research developed and validated a multidimensional questionnaire to measure public confidence in law enforcement and the courts. In Study 1 (N = 1,359), an initial set of questionnaire items representing value preferences of these models was generated. Factor analyses revealed a correlated four-factor structure consisting of efficiency, safety, fairness, and lawfulness for both confidence scales (21 items for law enforcement and 20 items for the courts). In Study 2 (N = 1,319), the four-factor structure was cross-validated, and the scales’ predictive validity was tested. The four confidence dimensions evidenced differential relationships with measures of police and legal legitimacy. The Public Confidence Questionnaire (PCQ) developed in this study advances the conceptualization of confidence as a multidimensional construct stemming from core ideologies of criminal justice. Overall, findings indicate that the PCQ is a reliable and valid tool for measuring public confidence in law enforcement and the courts.

Author

• Jimin Pyo, California State University, Northridge