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Revista Derecho del Estado
Print version ISSN 0122-9893
Abstract
LALINDE ORDONEZ, SEBASTIÁN. Impact of procedural justice on police legitimacy: Evidence from Colombia. Rev. Derecho Estado [online]. 2020, n.47, pp.215-253. Epub Jan 28, 2021. ISSN 0122-9893. https://doi.org/10.18601/01229893.n47.07.
Several studies have found that police legitimacy stems from the perceived fairness whereby the police exercise their powers (procedural justice) which, in turn, yields more law-abiding and cooperative citizens. Some scholars have also argued in favour of the influence of the wider social and political context (strength of social order) on police legitimacy. However, these debates have been largely neglected in Colombia. I used survey data from Bogota, Medellin and Cali to examine the associations between procedural justice and strength of social order, on the one hand, and police legitimacy, on the other hand. My findings suggest that respondents who experienced an involuntary contact with the police, where they perceived that their rights were respected, are more likely to assess positively both police services during public-initiated contacts and police effectiveness in controlling crime. I did not find evidence of associations between strength of social order and police legitimacy.
Keywords : Police legitimacy; Procedural justice; Contacts with the police; Strength of social order; Colombia.