Luke Alward, assistant professor of criminal justice, and co-authors Sarah Bryson (University of Tampa) and Magalli Morado recently published new research in the Journal of Crime and Justice. Their study examines how people on probation perceive their relationships with supervision officers and how procedural justice influences relationship quality.
Using latent profile analysis, the researchers identified two distinct groups—those with moderate and strong officer-client relationships. Results showed that clients who felt their officers treated them with respect, listened to their input and communicated decisions clearly were significantly more likely to report a strong, high-quality relationship. Although procedural justice predicted better relationships, relationship quality alone was not related to supervision compliance. Instead, client risk levels, history of violations and perceived distrust were significantly linked to both official and self-reported offending measures.
The authors point out that further research is necessary to include additional factors, such as perceived client legitimacy, in order to fully understand how procedural justice and relationship quality impact compliance outcomes.