TY - JOUR
T1 - Public support for expanding DNA databases
T2 - police empowerment and the normative and instrumental models of police legitimacy in South Korea
AU - Kuen, Kiseong
AU - Johnson, Devon
AU - Ra, Kwang Hyun
AU - Kim, Yeon Soo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Despite the widespread adoption and expansion of DNA databases by countries around the world, few studies have investigated the factors that promote public support or opposition to their expansion. Drawing on the normative and instrumental models of police legitimacy, this study explored the mechanisms contributing to public support for expanding DNA databases in a national sample of approximately 1,000 adults in South Korea. Using structural equation modelling, we examined the direct and indirect effects of citizen perceptions of procedural justice, police effectiveness, and police legitimacy on citizen support for expanding DNA databases, a form of police empowerment. Our results indicated that trust in the police was a key antecedent of citizen support for the expansion of DNA databases. Both citizen perceptions of procedural justice and police effectiveness indirectly increased public support for expanding DNA databases via increased trust in the police, but neither had a direct impact. Notably, procedural justice had a stronger indirect impact than police effectiveness on public support for the expanded use of DNA technology. Our study emphasises the importance of law enforcement agencies’ efforts to build trust and legitimacy in the eyes of the public to enhance support for expanding DNA databases. This can be achieved by treating citizens in a procedurally fair manner and effectively addressing crime, with a greater emphasis on the former.
AB - Despite the widespread adoption and expansion of DNA databases by countries around the world, few studies have investigated the factors that promote public support or opposition to their expansion. Drawing on the normative and instrumental models of police legitimacy, this study explored the mechanisms contributing to public support for expanding DNA databases in a national sample of approximately 1,000 adults in South Korea. Using structural equation modelling, we examined the direct and indirect effects of citizen perceptions of procedural justice, police effectiveness, and police legitimacy on citizen support for expanding DNA databases, a form of police empowerment. Our results indicated that trust in the police was a key antecedent of citizen support for the expansion of DNA databases. Both citizen perceptions of procedural justice and police effectiveness indirectly increased public support for expanding DNA databases via increased trust in the police, but neither had a direct impact. Notably, procedural justice had a stronger indirect impact than police effectiveness on public support for the expanded use of DNA technology. Our study emphasises the importance of law enforcement agencies’ efforts to build trust and legitimacy in the eyes of the public to enhance support for expanding DNA databases. This can be achieved by treating citizens in a procedurally fair manner and effectively addressing crime, with a greater emphasis on the former.
KW - DNA databases
KW - police empowerment
KW - police legitimacy
KW - procedural justice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203046962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10439463.2024.2396880
DO - 10.1080/10439463.2024.2396880
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85203046962
SN - 1043-9463
JO - Policing and Society
JF - Policing and Society
ER -