‘I can see that it’s bad for them’: third party judgements about the effect of procedural injustice on mental health and relationships with the police

Abstract

Objectives

Explore why people react so strongly to procedural injustice experienced by others. One possibility is that people recognise the marginalisation and psychological harm that injustice can cause.

Methods

An online experiment tested whether exposure to procedurally unjust police behaviour directed at crime victims would influence participants’ assessments of the subject’s marginalisation, mental health outcomes, and their overall perceptions of the police (N = 300).

Results

Exposure to procedurally unjust police behaviour led to more negative evaluations of its psychological impact on the victim. Procedural injustice was seen as harmful to mental health due to its link to social exclusion. Such exposure reduced trust, legitimacy, and identification with police. These negative perceptions were driven by recognition of the victim’s psychological harm.

Conclusion

Findings highlight the critical role of psychological harm in driving public responses to unjust policing. Addressing this harm is essential for fostering trust and repairing fractured relationships between police and the communities they serve.