Procedural justice, legal cynicism and recidivism: A longitudinal test among people on community supervision

Purpose: Procedural justice literature argues that when people perceive criminal justice authorities as procedurally just, they are more likely to comply with the law. Although procedural justice in community supervision has received some empirical attention, few previous studies have examined factors that might explain the relationship between procedural justice and recidivism. Methods: Employing structural equation modelling, the current longitudinal study tests relationships between procedural justice in encounters with community supervision officers, legal cynicism and recidivism among a sample of 1011 adults on community supervision. Results: Controlling for demographics and criminal history, procedural justice is negatively related to legal cynicism, which is positively related to recidivism. The findings demonstrate an indirect negative effect from officer procedural justice – via legal cynicism – to recidivism, suggesting the relationship between procedural justice and recidivism is explained by attitudes towards the law. Conclusions: How parole and probation officers interact with their clients impacts attitudes towards the law and, ultimately, clients' likelihood of recidivism.