Effectiveness of procedural justice training for police personnel: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

• In Event: POLWG Panel 3: Trust in policing: Reflections on police legitimacy and procedural justice

Abstract

This meta-analysis reviews the effects of procedural justice (PJ) training on police attitudes and behaviors, analyzing ten studies with 27 aggregated effect sizes. It begins by providing a summary of the methodology, including the criteria for eligible studies and systematic search process. It describes the processes for coding eligible studies and calculating required effect sizes. The results of meta-analysis are provided, including mean effect sizes, results of moderator analyses, and publication selection bias analyses. The findings show that PJ training improves officers' attitudes toward community interactions and adherence to neutrality but has mixed effects on behavioral measures like use of force, arrests and other attitudinal measures (voice, respect, trustworthy motives). Moreover, several moderator analyses were conducted to explore possible explanations for study features’ heterogeneity. For instance, interactive PJ training elements like role-playing and guided discussions were found to be constructive. Furthermore, the significant variation in how PJ trainings are operationalized and subsequently evaluated requires a study that can identify training characteristics and study components that may enhance the effectiveness of PJ training. The hope is that this meta-analysis will inform both the future implementation of PJ training by law enforcement agencies and the subsequent evaluations by researchers.

Authors

• Wei-Gin Lee, George Mason University

• Hyunji Lee, George Mason University

• Benjamin Carleton, George Mason University