Police Procedural Justice, Lawyer Procedural Justice, Judge Procedural Justice, and Satisfaction With the Criminal Justice System: Findings From a Neglected Region of the World

Abstract

Although the impact of procedural justice on citizens’ satisfaction with the police and other branches of the criminal justice system has been tested in several geopolitical contexts, this is the first study to examine the relative impacts of police procedural justice, lawyer procedural justice, and judge procedural justice on satisfaction with a country’s criminal justice system. To assess the universal applicability of procedural justice, scholars must carry out research in all geopolitical regions. However, sub-Saharan Africa appears to be a region that scholars have neglected for far too long. As a result, the current study assesses the relative impacts of three strands of procedural justice—police, lawyer, and judge—on satisfaction with the criminal justice system in Kenya. Using a sample of 523 students from a prominent Kenyan university, we found that all three strands of procedural justice predicted satisfaction with Kenya’s criminal justice system under the country’s new Constitution, although judge procedural justice exerted the strongest influence on satisfaction. Also, less highly educated students (first-year students, compared to sophomores, juniors, and seniors) and male students were more satisfied with Kenya’s criminal justice system. The study’s implications for policy and future research are discussed.

General and specific perceptions of procedural justice: Factors associated with perceptions of police and court responses to domestic and family violence

“…While speculative, this may explain participants' less positive and greater variation in general perceptions of procedural justice related to police as observed in other research (see, e.g. Pryce & Wilson, 2020).…”

Attitudes toward legal actors among dual system youth

“…Past research suggests that procedurally just treatment by judges is associated with more positive attitudes toward the justice system among adults (Pryce & Wilson, 2020) and that, over and above the favorability and accuracy of the court outcome, the fairness of decision making and quality of treatment by the courts was predictive of perceptions of legitimacy of the legal system (i.e., police, courts, and the law overall; Tyler & Jackson, 2014). Similarly, research has found that the procedural justice of court proceedings is directly related to individual perceptions of court legitimacy, even more so than the accuracy of decisions and the appropriateness of sentences (Tyler & Sevier, 2013).…”

The Influence of Reform of Criminal-Procedure Legislation on the Criminality Rate in Moldova

“…Ensuring procedural justice plays a significant role in the context of criminal-procedure law. Many studies note the positive influence of procedural justice on public trust in police and satisfaction with their work (Pryce & Wilson, 2020;Graham et al, 2020). This is also related to individuals who have committed a crime, thus, procedural justice can contribute to order improvement in correctional institutions (Maguire et al, 2021;Yasrebi-De Kom et al, 2022) and, probably, prevent the repetition of the crime.…”