ABSTRACT

This paper contributes to the literature on Procedural Justice Theory (PJT) by exploring its capacity to explain the dynamic interactions between police and citizens within the context of police detention. Analysis is based on observation and interviews in police custody suites (i.e. locations where arrested citizens are formally processed and held) within one of the larger metropolitan police forces in the UK. The qualitative thematic analysis highlights how, in order to adequately understand police–detainee interactions, it is critical that PJT properly recognises (a) the importance of context for framing ‘procedurally fair’ encounters, (b) the central role and consequences of categorisation, and (c) the role of power in shaping police–citizen encounters. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of this research for assumptions regarding the causal ordering often assumed in the PJT literature. Specifically, we suggest that procedural justice is more than merely a mechanistic route to achieving compliance but can also be conceptualised as a ‘reward’ by the powerful to those already willing to be subordinated and acquiescent.

摘要

本文通过探索其解释警察拘留背景下警察与公民之间动态互动的能力，为有关程序正义理论 (PJT) 的文献做出了贡献。分析基于在英国较大的城市警察部队之一的警察拘留所（即正式处理和拘留被捕公民的地方）的观察和采访。定性主题分析强调，为了充分理解警察与被拘留者的互动，PJT 必须正确认识到（a）背景对于构建“程序公平”遭遇的重要性，（b）分类的核心作用和后果， (c) 权力在塑造警民冲突中的作用。本文最后探讨了这项研究对 PJT 文献中经常假设的因果顺序假设的影响。具体来说，我们认为程序正义不仅仅是实现合规的机械途径，而且还可以被概念化为强者对那些已经愿意服从和默许的人的“奖励”。