Moral Contexts of Procedural (In)Justice Effects on Public Cooperation with Police: A Vignette Experimental Study

Abstract

Evidence from correlational studies shows people do wish to cooperate with the police by volunteering information about crime to them. This cooperation, the evidence suggests, depends on experiences and perceptions of procedural justice during everyday interactions with the police. However, these studies have not examined procedural justice effects across different normative orders (for example, pro-police vs. anti-police). Nor do they specify the social relations between potential cooperators and criminal suspects (for example, strangers vs. family members). This chapter addresses these gaps using data from a vignette experimental study conducted in Accra (Ghana). The evidence shows procedural justice has the potential to overcome generalized normative orders that are hostile to cooperation with the police. However, we also find that procedural justice is weak at inducing cooperation against acquaintances and familial relations; its effects are limited to crime suspects with whom potential cooperation have no social relationships.

Keywords: Procedural justice, legitimacy, moral frameworks, cooperation, Ghana