What is the difference between procedural justice and distributive justice in policing?

• A. Procedural justice focuses on the fairness of processes.
• B. Distributive justice focuses on the fairness of outcomes and resources.
• C. Procedural justice concerns the efficiency of patrols.
• D. Distributive justice concerns the speed of response.

Answer: (A)

Procedural justice is about how decisions are made and how people are treated during police encounters. It emphasizes fairness in the process itself—allowing individuals to share their side (voice), applying rules neutrally, treating people with respect, and clearly explaining the reasons for decisions. When the process feels fair, people are more likely to trust the police and comply, even if the outcome isn’t what they hoped.

Distributive justice, by contrast, concerns the fairness of outcomes and how resources or sanctions are allocated among people or groups. It’s about whether the results of policing—who gets attention, who receives services, who is sanctioned—are distributed fairly.

So, the statement that procedural justice focuses on the fairness of processes best captures the distinction. The other ideas describe efficiency, speed, or outcomes, which fall under different concepts of policing and justice.