Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy and Cooperation of Bosnian Students with the Police

• Published in: Varstvoslovje Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 387
• Main Authors: Muratbegovic, Elmedin, Vujovic, Srdan, Fazlic, Adnan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Maribor Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security - University of Maribor 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Cooperation; Criminal justice; Police; Student attitudes; Studies; Bosnia-Hercegovina
• ISSN: 1580-0253; 2232-2981

The purpose of this study is to highlight the factors that influence police legitimacy in students' eyes. More specifically, this study presents an empirical test and description of student attitudes based on prior experiences with the police and the criminal-justice system. This study aims at describing correlations between police legitimacy and the identified significant factors (procedural justice, compliance with the law, police effectiveness, moral credibility, personal morality, deterrence) which may determine legitimacy of the police. Furthermore, it is important to assess attitudes of students of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo about their cooperation with the police. The ultimate purpose of this study is to test various research hypotheses derived from the process-based model of policing. The findings may be used as a basis for the future related research in Sarajevo or Bosnia and Herzegovina. This study tests process-based model hypotheses using cross-sectional data from students of the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who successfully completed an online questionnaire (n = 583). hr this empirical study, a survey was used as a method of data collection. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion) and statistical inference (factor analysis and correlation analyses). The study presents the findings of the survey conducted among the students of the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The majority of the surveyed respondents revealed that trust in the police is determined by the perceived police reputation. That means that if the police work effectively, morally, and in compliance with the law, the level of trust in the police increases. Moreover, the findings have shown that the threat of sanctions/costs (formal and informal) plays a significant role in the story about trust in the police, as well as the relationship between procedural justice and trust in the police. On the other hand, the analyses did not report significant correlations between police legitimacy and other factors such as cooperation with the police. Thus, demographic factors (gender and age), self-control and lifestyle do not play a significant role in terms of trust in the police, at least within this sample of college students. The limitations of this study relate primarily to sampling. A convenience sample was used in this case, and although the online survey questionnaire was available to all students in the two faculties (N = 4014), a large number did not complete the survey, which can be considered as a research limitation. Considering that only 583 students successfully completed the online questionnaire, the response rate is 14.51%. The results of this study have implications for police practices in Canton of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Specifically, the findings can be considered as the indicators which can aid the police to improve their practice in Canton Sarajevo. The study is important because studies of this kind are a rarity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so it means that the results of this study could become the basis for such studies in the future. Furthermore, this study examines those factors that influence trust in the police among students of law, criminal justice, criminology and security studies in Sarajevo.