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Bounded authority: Expanding "appropriate" police behavior beyond procedural justice
Rick Trinkner1, Jonathan Jackson2, Tom R Tyler3
1School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Law and Human Behavior
|May 30, 2018
Summary
Police legitimacy and compliance increase when officers respect bounded authority and treat citizens with respect and neutrality. This study highlights the importance of officers acting within their rightful power for public trust.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Social Psychology
- Legal Studies
Background:
- Traditional views of police legitimacy focus on procedural justice.
- This study introduces the concept of bounded authority as crucial for police legitimacy.
- Legal socialization theory outlines citizen expectations for authority figures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To expand conceptualizations of appropriate police behavior beyond procedural justice.
- To examine the role of bounded authority in predicting police and legal legitimacy.
- To investigate the relationship between legal legitimacy and compliance behavior.
Main Methods:
- Survey data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.
- Analysis of citizen perceptions of police decision-making, interpersonal treatment, and respect for authority limits.
- Statistical controls for personal morality and perceived likelihood of sanctions.
Main Results:
- Concerns over bounded authority, respectful treatment, and neutral decision-making strongly predict police and legal legitimacy.
- Legal legitimacy is positively associated with greater compliance behavior.
- The findings underscore the significance of officers adhering to their rightful power.
Conclusions:
- A bounded authority perspective offers valuable insights into police legitimacy.
- Respect for authority limits, alongside fair treatment and neutral decision-making, enhances public trust in law enforcement.
- Further research is needed on the psychological underpinnings of boundary formation and its impact on police legitimacy.
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