Perceived police legitimacy: investigating its association with college-based informal social controls |
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Authors: | Frank Valentino Ferdik Jon Gist Nick Blasco |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA;2. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Carolina, 1305 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA |
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Abstract: | Research has found that when private citizens view law enforcement as legitimate authority figures, they are more likely to obey laws and voluntarily comply with police demands. Although procedural justice has shown to be an important predictor of perceived police legitimacy, a recent line of studies has found other significant correlates of this outcome, including media exposure, ethnic identity and strain. To date, however, few studies have explored the role collegiate-based informal social controls play in predicting law enforcement legitimacy evaluations. Using questionnaire data from a convenience sample of college students, linear regression equations were estimated to explore whether Hirschi's four social bond measures predict the obligation to obey and trust in police constructs of police legitimacy. Across both models and even after controlling for procedural justice, respondent beliefs were positively correlated with these measures. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed. |
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Keywords: | Procedural justice police legitimacy obligation to obey trust in police social bond informal social control |
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