Abstract
This paper provides a brief review and critique of the procedural fairness conception of police legitimacy. It is argued that the theoretical framework is too limited to constitute the basis for any overall legitimacy-based model of policing. Rather, its potential stands to be greatly enhanced if it incorporates other crucial variables such as the role of police self-legitimating activities in shaping police treatment of the public, and the contexts in which procedural fairness and outcome issues are singularly or collectively influential. It is also argued that, while it is well and good if procedural fairness enhances the quality of public compliance and cooperation with the police, it is unhealthy if procedural fairness is taken seriously only for its utilitarian value. Procedural fairness, and by extension police legitimacy, must be pursued as something of intrinsic value, a good in and of itself; treating people fairly should not be an issue of choice contingent simply on demonstrable evidence of the facilitation of the task of the police in maintaining order.
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