The Ways That Police Deal With People: The Theory and Practice of Process-Based Policing

Using data from systematic social observations of police-citizen encounters, the statistical analyses demonstrate the importance of understanding the dynamics of police citizen encounters. The findings suggest how to enhance police legitimacy and improve the experiences of police citizen interactions. Recent theoretical advances in the social psychology of procedural justice have facilitated the development of a process-based approach to policing. This approach emphasizes the fairness of the manner in which the police exercise their discretion during encounters with citizens. However, little is known about the correlates and effects of procedural justice in policing. Applying various theories of procedural justice and the social interactionist theory, this book examines the factors that affect the use of procedurally fair behavior by the police and the effects of this type of behavior on citizen interactions including citizen disrespect to the police and citizen non-compliance with police requests.