Copyright © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press.
Continuing the Discussion on Community Policing, Issue 2
Procedural Justice and Community Policing—What Shapes Residents' Willingness to Participate in Crime Prevention Programs?
* College of Criminology & Criminal Justice, 634 West Call Street, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1127, USA. E-mail: mreisig{at}fsu.edu
Citizen involvement is an essential component of community policing. This study identifies factors that shape citizens' willingness to participate in police programs designed to improve public safety. Two questions are addressed. Do citizens' procedural justice assessments influence their willingness to assist police in crime prevention efforts? Is the effect of procedural justice on participation willingness similar across local communities with different levels of property crime? Using mail survey data from 1,056 adult residents and police crime records, the results show that citizens who judge police practices to be fair and respectful are more willing to participate in crime prevention programs. The findings also show that the influence of procedural justice judgments on citizens' willingness to participate is relatively stable across local communities with low, moderate, and high levels of property crime.
This project was supported by grant #97-CK-WX-0010 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The author thanks Andy Giacomazzi, John McCluskey, and Rich Spano for their comments on an earlier draft of this article and Kristy Holtfreter, Jeffrey Michael Cancino, Marcus Mizanin, and Steven McNabb for their assistance on this project.