Assessing the process-based model of regulation within a jail setting: arrestees’ perceptions of procedural justice, trust and obligation to obey

ABSTRACT

A substantial body of research has demonstrated the importance of procedural justice, trust, and obligation to obey in generating enhanced levels of compliance and cooperation with the criminal justice system. Although this body of research has found a strong relationship between perceptions of police procedural justice, legitimacy, trust, and obligation to obey, research examining individuals’ views of procedural justice and its relation to many positive outcomes of correctional officers is limited in size, especially in jail settings. Using data from a sample of arrestees (n = 443) in one Maricopa County, Arizona jail, this study tests the applicability of the process-based model of regulation in assessing arrestees’ perceptions of detention officers. The results show a positive and significant relationship between perceptions of procedural justice, trust, and obligation to obey detention officers. Specifically, procedural justice was the strongest indicator of both trust and obligation to obey.

KEYWORDS:

• Procedural justice
• legitimacy
• trust
• obligation to obey
• jails

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. It is important to note that there is debate in the literature concerning the temporal ordering of procedural justice and trust. Whereas some research argues that trust moderates procedural justice (De Cremer and Tyler 2007), other research dissents from this perspective claiming that procedural justice precedes trust. In line with the latter, we adopt Tyler’s (1990) original perspective that procedural justice fosters trust in justice actors.

2. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Project was a National Institute of Justice funded project. The purpose of the ADAM project was to monitor drug use trends and other at-risk behaviors among recently booked arrestees. The ADAM Project ran in 35 sites across the United States.

3. For more information about the AARIN project or prior peer-reviewed research relying on AARIN data see Katz, Fox, and White (2011).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lidia E. Nuño

Lidia E. Nuño is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice in the Division of Politics, Administration, and Justice at California State University, Fullerton. She has participated in various research projects, including international and transnational research in multiple nations in Central America and the Caribbean. Her research interests include immigration and crime, gangs, policing, and youth deviant behavior. Her recent work has appeared in the Crime and Delinquency, Police Practice and Research, and Deviant Behavior.

Weston J. Morrow

Weston J. Morrow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at University of Nevada, Reno. He earned a B.S. in Social Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; an M.S. in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach; and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University. He has conducted research on the Fourth Amendment, police use of force, courts and sentencing, and juvenile justice. Dr. Morrow’s work has appeared in the American Journal of Criminal Law, Criminal Justice Studies, the Criminal Law Bulletin, the Journal of Crime and Justice, Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, and Police Quarterly. He has also contributed a chapter to the forthcoming New York University Press book, Pat-Down: Examining the Role of ‘Stop, Question, and Frisk’ Practices in American Policing.