Legitimacy and Deterrence Effects in Counter-Terrorism Policing: A Study of Muslim Americans

42 Pages Posted: 1 Mar 2010

See all articles by Tom Tyler

Tom Tyler

Yale University - Law School

Stephen Schulhofer

New York University School of Law

Aziz Z. Huq

University of Chicago - Law School

Date Written: February 26, 2010

Abstract

This study considers the circumstances under which members of the Muslim American community voluntarily cooperate with police efforts to combat terrorism. Cooperation is defined to include both a general receptivity toward helping the police in anti-terror work, and the specific willingness to alert police to terror related risks in a community. Two perspectives on why people cooperate with law enforcement, both developed with reference to general policing, are compared in the context of anti-terror policing and specifically among members of the Muslim American community. The first is instrumental. It suggests that people cooperate because they see tangible benefits that outweigh any costs. The second perspective is normative. It posits that people respond to their belief that police are a legitimate authority. On this view legitimacy is linked to the fairness and procedural justice of police procedures. Data from a study involving interviews with Muslim Americans in New York City between March and June 2009 strongly support the normative model by finding that the procedural justice of police activities is the primary factor shaping legitimacy and cooperation with the police.

Suggested Citation

Tyler, Tom and Schulhofer, Stephen J. and Huq, Aziz Z., Legitimacy and Deterrence Effects in Counter-Terrorism Policing: A Study of Muslim Americans (February 26, 2010). Law and Society Review, Forthcoming , U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 296, NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 10-15, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1559923 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1559923

Tom Tyler

Yale University - Law School ( email )

P.O. Box 208215
New Haven, CT 06520-8215
United States

Stephen J. Schulhofer

New York University School of Law ( email )

40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012-1099
United States

Aziz Z. Huq (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Law School ( email )

1111 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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