Legal cynicism explained

Legal cynicism is a domain of legal socialization defined by a perception that the legal system and law enforcement agents are "illegitimate, unresponsive, and ill equipped to ensure public safety."[1] [2] It is related to police legitimacy, and the two serve as important ways for researchers to study citizens' perceptions of law enforcement.[3]

Definitions

Sampson and Bartusch (1998) defined legal cynicism as ""anomie" about law". Based on Sampson & Bartusch's work, and on that of Leo Srole,[4] Piquero et al. (2005) defined it based on respondents' answers to a five-question survey. In the survey, respondents were asked to rank, on a four-point scale, the extent to which they agreed with each of these statements:

Causes and correlates

Legal cynicism can be exacerbated when police engage in aggressive misconduct in a community, which can lead to greater violence and less cooperation between the community's citizens and the police.[5] It has been found to be higher in neighborhoods with higher levels of concentrated disadvantage, even after controlling for demographic factors and crime rates.[6] The strongest predictor of legal cynicism is self-reported delinquency.[7]

Effects

Legal cynicism and legitimacy both have significant effects on criminal offending, even after accounting for self-control.[2] Legal cynicism is also associated with lower rates of desistance from intimate partner violence,[8] higher homicide rates,[9] and higher recidivism rates among released prisoners.[10] It has also been found to affect parents' assessments of their adolescent children's violent behavior.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Kirk . David S. . Matsuda . Mauri . 2011-05-01 . Legal Cynicism, Collective Efficacy, and the Ecology of Arrest . Criminology . en . 49 . 2 . 443–472 . 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2011.00226.x . 31487782 . 1745-9125.
  2. Reisig . Michael D. . Scott E. Wolfe . Kristy Holtfreter . 2011-12-01 . Legal Cynicism, Legitimacy, and Criminal Offending: The Nonconfounding Effect of Low Self-Control . Criminal Justice and Behavior . en . 38 . 12 . 1265–1279 . 10.1177/0093854811424707 . 145230048 . 0093-8548.
  3. Web site: Police Legitimacy and Legal Cynicism: Why They Matter and How to Measure in Your Community . Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program.
  4. Srole . Leo . 1956 . Social Integration and Certain Corollaries: An Exploratory Study . 2088422 . American Sociological Review . 21 . 6 . 709–716 . 10.2307/2088422.
  5. Web site: The surge in violent crime is overblown — but here's how to combat it . Abt . Thomas . 2016-09-30 . Vox . 2017-12-30.
  6. Sampson . Robert J. . Bartusch . Dawn Jeglum . 1998 . Legal Cynicism and (Subcultural?) Tolerance of Deviance: The Neighborhood Context of Racial Differences . 827739 . Law & Society Review . 32 . 4 . 777–804 . 10.2307/827739. 144846460 .
  7. Amy E. Nivette . Manuel Eisner . Tina Malti . Denis Ribeaud . 2015-03-01 . The Social and Developmental Antecedents of Legal Cynicism . Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency . en . 52 . 2 . 270–298 . 10.1177/0022427814557038 . 10072/172567 . 145696864 . 0022-4278. free .
  8. Emery . Clifton R. . Jolley . Jennifer M. . Wu . Shali . 2011-12-01 . Desistance from Intimate Partner Violence: the Role of Legal Cynicism, Collective Efficacy, and Social Disorganization in Chicago Neighborhoods . American Journal of Community Psychology . en . 48 . 3–4 . 373–383 . 10.1007/s10464-010-9362-5 . 20963479 . 23574976 . 1573-2770.
  9. Kirk . David S. . Papachristos . Andrew V. . 2011-01-01 . Cultural Mechanisms and the Persistence of Neighborhood Violence . American Journal of Sociology . 116 . 4 . 1190–1233 . 10.1086/655754 . 21648250 . 12686833 . 0002-9602.
  10. Web site: Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry: Maryland Pilot Study: Findings from Baltimore . Visher . Christy . 2004-01-01 . Urban Institute . 2018-01-01.
  11. Soller . Brian . Jackson . Aubrey L. . Browning . Christopher R. . 2014-07-01 . Legal Cynicism and Parental Appraisals of Adolescent Violence . The British Journal of Criminology . 54 . 4 . 568–591 . 10.1093/bjc/azu027 . 24932013 . 0007-0955. 4055156 .

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