Procedural Justice, Obligation to Obey, and Cooperation with Police in a Sample of Ghanaian Immigrants

Abstract

Theory and research highlight the importance of procedural justice for inculcating people’s obligation to obey and willingness to cooperate with legal authorities, yet questions remain about the universality of these relationships across cultures and contexts. We examine the influence of procedural justice and other factors on Ghanaian immigrants’ obligation to obey and willingness to cooperate with police. The findings suggest that when police are perceived to behave in a procedurally just manner, people feel an increased obligation to obey their directives and willingness to cooperate with them. Perceived police effectiveness does not influence Ghanaian immigrants’ obligation to obey police, but is the most dominant factor in shaping their willingness to cooperate with police. Respondents’ views of police in Ghana did not influence obligation or cooperation. The implications of the results for theory development, empirical research, and policies intended to improve police–immigrant relations are discussed.

The Role of Police Officer Race/Ethnicity on Crime Rates in Immigrant Communities

“…Police officers can influence crime rates via several mechanisms with legitimacy being one such avenue. Here, we have argued that when citizens feel like they can relate with the officers, they may be more likely to show deference to them by cooperating with them to fight crime in their communities (Davies & Fagan, 2012; Pryce et al, 2017). African American officers may be viewed as allies in immigrant communities, and therefore, the likelihood of reporting crime to the police may be higher in cities with higher African American representation.…”

“…Thus, the increased growth of the foreign-born population may pose a unique set of challenges to policing in America. Many immigrants lack much experience with the American law enforcement system and many are not fluent in English (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007; Pryce, Johnson, & Maguire, 2017). Moreover, some immigrants might have experienced corrupt police officers or police brutality in their home countries and these experiences might impact how they view American police officers (i.e., with little or no trust, or even fear; Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007).…”

From Impressions to Intentions: Direct and Indirect Effects of Police Contact on Willingness to Report Crimes to Law Enforcement

“…Several contributions suggest that willingness to report should align closely with perceptions of police effectiveness given their common utilitarian or instrumental orientation (Tankebe 2009) and narrow focus on "bottom-line" functions of crime control and prevention (Schuck and Rosenbaum 2005:409). As noted by Pryce, Johnson and Maguire (2017), "competence may breed cooperation" (p. 745). Moreover, reporting intentions may depend on other pragmatic considerations, including the "distributive fairness" and deterrence value of police actions and sanctions (Hickman and Simpson 2003;Sunshine and Tyler 2003:514).…”

Attitudes towards the Use of Violence against Police among Occupy Wall Street Protesters

“…For instance, when people believe that police have treated them unjustly, they are more likely to view the police and perhaps the criminal law more generally as illegitimate and unworthy of cooperation and compliance (Tyler and Huo, 2002;Sunshine and Tyler, 2003;Tyler, 2003;Hinds, 2007;Gau and Brunson, 2010;Johnson et al, 2014;Maguire et al, 2016). Thus, people's decisions to obey the law or cooperate with legal authorities are shaped not only by instrumental considerations, such as the likelihood of being caught and punished, but also by normative concerns, including whether or not the law and legal authorities are legitimate and worthy of voluntary cooperation and compliance (Pryce et al, 2016). As explained by Tyler (2003, p. 1), the key factor that shapes public behaviour towards the law and legal authorities 'is the fairness of the processes legal authorities use when dealing with members of the public'.…”