System contact and procedural justice policing

Abstract

Victims of crime often feel re-victimised when they come into contact with criminal justice professionals. Police, as first responders to many victimisation experiences, therefore need to be particularly sensitive to the way in which they treat victims if they wish to reduce the occurrence of such secondary victimisation. The present study seeks to explore the role that procedural justice policing can play in improving the wellbeing and quality of life of crime victims after system contact. Importantly, it also seeks to put forward a framework for understanding why procedural justice policing might improve victims’ quality of life; this framework draws heavily on theories of emotion. The study utilises survey data collected from 171 crime victims to show that procedural justice policing can indeed reduce the negative impact that system contact can have on a victim’s quality of life. It will be shown that procedural justice enhances victims’ quality of life because it serves to diminish the negative emotions experienced by victims of crime when they come into contact with legal authorities.