Abstract
Public trust in legal authority is intimately connected with compliance with the law and with citizen engagement and cooperation. Excessively aggressive policing can undermine public trust in legal authority. Members of the public want to have the opportunity to tell their side of the story and to participate in development of agency strategies and policies, they want to be treated with dignity and respect for their rights, they want to be able to assess the extent that decisions affecting them are fair and neutral, and they want to be able to expect to be treated benevolently in the future. These elements of procedural justice create legitimacy, which is a precursor to democratic society. Procedural justice is also good for police officers, because it helps them remain mentally, emotionally, and physically whole.
Recommended Citation
Tracey Meares,
Remarks at the Southern Illinois University School of Law and School of Medicine Symposium: The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing: Procedural Justice, Policing, and Public Health,
40
S. Ill. U. L.J.
435
(2016).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol40/iss3/3