Psychological law assignment

Procedural Justice: Fairness as a Crime Prevention Tool

The case for procedural justice is an important aspect when it comes to the delivery of justice and the prevention of crime. The administration of procedural justice requires the use of fairness in the determination of justice to appease the conflicting parties (Gold, 2013). This is critical as it ensures that no party feels aggrieved.

Certain strategies can be used by law enforcement officers in implementing procedural justice in the community. These strategies enable the citizens to interact well with the law enforcement officers which in turn enables the process of justice to be carried out efficiently.

Important strategies to be used

Creating an opportunity for citizens to be heard-It is important that the law enforcement officers give the citizens the chance to be heard as this increases the kind of interactions present between the law enforcement officers and the members of the community and also increases the perceptions of fairness in the administration of justice (Skogan, Van Craen & Hennessy, 2015). Most people tend to believe that the views that they give out are considered in the determination of justice and thus it is important that this opportunity is given to the members of the community.

Explaining your actions-It is very important for the members of the community to be aware of the actions that the law enforcement officers are undertaking in relation to justice. Most of the law enforcement officers are used to applying difficult terms related to law that the members of the community fail to understand. This creates a problem as they are not able to know and understand the actions that have been taken and the reason why. Therefore, it is critical that law enforcement officers use simple language in explaining the reasons for doing certain actions which will grant the members of the community fair chance for justice.

Humanize administration of justice-The manner in which the law enforcement officers approach the members of the community needs to be one that shows respect and adheres to the rules of humanity (Nagin & Telep, 2017). The process of interviewing suspects should be one that shows respect and does not in any way involve threats and torture. This is essential in enabling the suspects to be cooperative and also hand out key information that will be helpful in the process of carrying out justice. The law enforcement officers should also be thankful to the members of the community for the information that they may have shared with them. This strategy enables the members of the community to view the officers as friendly and thus they will believe that the process of justice will be fair.

Research-The use of research is also another strategy that is important in the issue of fairness in justice (Skogan, Van Craen & Hennessy, 2015). The law enforcement officers can be educated on the research that have been carried out in relation to procedural justice and the impact that they have had. They will be able to understand more on the need for procedural justice and thus they can engage with the community in fair terms. The use of research also creates a foundation for further training and research on the issue of procedural justice.

Consider environmental factors-It is important to be aware of the environmental factors in the process of offering justice. This is because these factors offer the members of the community the chance to minimize the instances of going against the law. The rules in places such as buildings should be ones that can be read easily so that members of the community are aware of them. This increases the aspect of fairness to the members of the community and enhances the case for procedural justice.

References

Nagin, D. S., & Telep, C. W. (2017). Procedural justice and legal compliance. Annual review of law and social science, 13, 5-28.

Skogan, W. G., Van Craen, M., & Hennessy, C. (2015). Training police for procedural justice. Journal of experimental criminology, 11(3), 319-334.

Gold. E. (2013). The Case for Procedural Justice: Fairness as a Crime Prevention Tool. Retrieved from https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/09-2013/fairness_as_a_crime_prevention_tool.asp