Lucas Alward, assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, recently published an article titled “Procedural justice, legal cynicism and recidivism: A longitudinal test among people on community supervision.”
The study, led by Matthias van Hall of the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, with University of Florida researchers Thomas Baker and Michael Caudy, examined how legal cynicism (distrust of the law) may mediate the relationship between procedural justice and recidivism (the likelihood that criminals will re-offend).
Using longitudinal data from the Serious Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, researchers employed a structural equation model. Results indicated that procedural justice is negatively associated with legal cynicism, which in turn is positively associated with increased odds of reoffending.
The study concludes that how parole and probation officers interact with their clients impacts the clients’ attitudes towards the law and, ultimately, their likelihood to re-offend. It also suggests that addressing negative attitudes towards the law may help promote positive, prosocial behavioral change.