When Is Justice Fair? An Integrated Approach to the Outcome Versus Procedure Debate |
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| Authors: | Jean M. Landls Lynne Goodstein |
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| Affiliation: | Jean M. Landis is a doctoral candidate in Community Systems Planning and Development at the Pennsylvania State University. She received her B.A. in 1979 and her M.S. in 1986, also from the Pennsylvania State University.;Lynne Goodstein is Associate Professor of Administration of Justice at the Pennsylvania State University. She received her B.A. in 1970 from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph. D. in 1977 from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. |
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| Abstract: | Defendants'perceptions of the fairness of their criminal processing outcomes have been the stated concern of some criminal justice reformers. Past research has suggested that these perceptions are influenced by characteristics of the outcome received as well as by characteristics of the process through which the outcome is imposed. This analysis tests a theoretical path model of perceived outcome fairness, which examines the relative influence of both outcome and process characteristics, using survey data collected from 619 prison inmates incarcerated in Minnesota and Illinois. The results indicate that factors related to both outcome and process significantly influence sample inmates'perceptions of their criminal justice processing outcomes and together explain a substantial portion of the total variance. However, two process-related characteristics are found to be the most powerful predictors of perceived outcome fairness. Inmates'perceptions that they are fairly treated by their lawyer, judge, and prosecutor are the strongest correlates of perceived outcome fairness, followed by the mode of disposition through which their outcomes are imposed; inmates who plea bargain are more likely than those who go to trial to perceive their outcome as fair. |
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