Unpacking the Mechanisms Connecting: Internal and External Procedural Fairness

Abstract

Studies of the effects of internal procedural fairness within police departments have consistently shown that officers who report experiencing procedural fairness within their departments also support procedurally fair policing practices. In this article, I compare two theories put forth to explain this connection: the Fair Policing from the Inside Out model and the Group Engagement Model. Using a national survey of police officers, I estimate a series of nested structural equation models based on the propositions of the two models, finding that the GEM provides a better explanation for the relationship between internal and external procedural fairness, and that several of the mechanisms identified in the FPIO model are not significant factors once GEM variables are included.

Keywords

internal procedural fairness external procedural fairness theory comparison group engagement model fair policing inside and out

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