When young people no longer see the police as procedurally fair, they are more likely to engage in risky behavior and be victimized.

One school of thought suggests that people tend to obey the law because they see police and criminal justice officials as being legitimate. But recent events that have seen police kill unarmed African-Americans have undermined many citizens’ belief in the procedural fairness of law enforcement. In new research, Scott E. Wolfe finds that the decline in trust in the police has consequences for adolescents; those young people who see the police as being procedurally unfair are more likely to engage in criminal behavior and engage in other risky activities which are more likely to lead to their own victimization.