You are first a migrant: The role of police procedural injustice and social identity among Nigerian immigrants in the United States

Process-based policing represents a strategy for building productive relationships between the police and residents. This study used data from in-depth qualitative interviews with Nigerian immigrants living in a large city to gauge the potential utility of this strategy. Although participants expected the police to behave in a manner consistent with an idealized image of the United States, police contacts were typically characterized as procedurally unfair, which negatively affected their social identity, their support for the police, and their willingness to comply and cooperate. Participants indicated that such treatment signaled to them that the police considered migrants an outgroup whose members represented a threat to public order and required higher levels of social control. Nevertheless, the evidence suggested that procedurally just tactics may prove effective over time, which could help immigrants identify with the police, support them, and report crimes.

Automated summary

Process-based policing is a strategy for building positive relationships between the police and residents. This study found that Nigerian immigrants had high expectations of the police based on an idealized image of the United States, but their interactions with the police were often characterized as procedurally unfair. This negatively impacted their social identity, support for the police, and willingness to comply and cooperate. However, evidence suggests that using procedurally just tactics could help immigrants identify with and support the police, as well as encourage them to report crimes.