Public Confidence in Policing: A Neo-Durkheimian Perspective

22 Pages Posted: 29 Feb 2008 Last revised: 24 Feb 2013

See all articles by Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology

Jason Sunshine

New York University (NYU)

Date Written: March 1, 2007

Abstract

Public confidence in policing has received much attention in recent years, but few studies outside of the United States have examined the sociological and social-psychological processes that underpin trust and support. This study, conducted in a rural English location, finds that trust and confidence in the police are shaped not by sentiments about risk and crime, but by evaluations of the values and morals that underpin community life. Furthermore, to garner public confidence, the police must be seen first to typify group morals and values and second to treat the public with dignity and fairness. All these findings are consistent with the perspective that people are Durkheimian in their attitudes towards crime, policing and punishment-a perspective developed here in this paper.

Suggested Citation

Jackson, Jonathan and Sunshine, Jason, Public Confidence in Policing: A Neo-Durkheimian Perspective (March 1, 2007). British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 214-233, March 1, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1093463 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azl031

Jonathan Jackson (Contact Author)

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology ( email )

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Jason Sunshine

New York University (NYU)

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