Procedural justice and criminal behavior: The perceptions and consequences of procedural justice in detainees' encounters with multiple criminal justice authorities

This dissertation shows that perceived procedural justice matters because those who feel treated procedurally just by criminal justice authorities also feel more obligated to obey the law and are less likely to get reconvicted. Moreover, this dissertation has provided insight on the question to what extent—and why—justice- involved individuals feel treated procedurally just by criminal justice authorities. In essence, the findings show that all authorities in the criminal justice system can ensure and improve perceived procedural justice, but this does not necessarily mean that positive consequences of procedural justice apply for several subgroups of justice-involved individuals. The current dissertation aimed to guide further research on the dynamics of perceived procedural justice during justice-involved individuals’ encounters with practitioners in the criminal justice system and on the potential of procedural justice to reduce criminal behavior.