Trust and Confidence in Criminal Justice: A Review of the British Research Literature
Bradford, B., Jackson, J., Hough, M. and Farrall, S. (2009). ‘Trust and confidence in criminal justice: A review of the British research literature’, in Jokinen, A., Ruuskanen, E., Yordanova, M., Markov, D.
Ilcheva, M. (eds.), Review of Need: Indicators of Public Confidence in Criminal Justice
20 Pages Posted: 19 Nov 2008 Last revised: 11 Mar 2013
Date Written: November 18, 2008
Abstract
This paper reviews the British research literature on public trust and confidence in criminal justice. The review falls into three sections. The first section documents the ways in which trust, confidence and legitimacy have been defined and measured. The second section outlines (a) levels of public confidence and (b) trends and trajectories over the past few decades. The third examines the various explanations put forward for the roots and dynamics of public perceptions of criminal justice. In line with extant research in this area, the primary focus of the review is on the police.
Keywords: criminal justice, police, courts, trust, confidence, legitimacy, public opinion
JEL Classification: D63
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation