Compliance and Legal Authority

Abstract

This entry addresses the question of how public compliance with the criminal law is cultivated and sustained. We first consider the empirical evidence for instrumental and normative modes of compliance and social regulation. After arguing that normative compliance with the criminal law is ethically and practically preferable to that secured by instrumental models of crime control, we outline some future directions of research into procedural justice and legitimacy.

Keywords: procedural justice, crime, compliance, legal authority, legitimacy, cooperation, deterrence

JEL Classification: K40