The effect of organizational justice on police officers’ perception of procedural justice in the South Korea: the mediating roles of perceived discretion and responsiveness
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 20 March 2024
Issue publication date: 27 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Recently, the interest of scholars studying procedural justice in policing has shifted from the relationship between procedural justice and citizen compliance to trust in police officers’ perceptions of who exercises it. This study explores the relationship between organizational justice and the perception of procedural justice from the perspective of police officers. Furthermore, it investigates the mediating roles of discretion and responsiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
Using 441 survey responses from South Korean police officers, a mediation model is outlined and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that police officers’ perceptions of organizational justice had indirect effects on the perceived importance of procedural justice. Moreover, discretion and responsiveness mediate the relationship between organizational justice and perceived procedural justice.
Findings
Officers who perceive police fairness are more likely to have a positive perception of procedural justice toward citizens when they have a higher level of discretion and responsiveness. However, police officers’ perceptions of organizational justice are not directly linked to their perceptions of procedural justice.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the generalization of knowledge by empirically testing Van Craen’s theoretical model of the Korean police. It also expands the existing theoretical model by investigating the influence of overall organizational justice and its possible mediators on procedural justice.
Keywords
Citation
Choi, N. and Jang, J. (2024), "The effect of organizational justice on police officers’ perception of procedural justice in the South Korea: the mediating roles of perceived discretion and responsiveness", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 47 No. 2, pp. 321-336. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2023-0143
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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