Public Trust, Procedural Justice, and Public Compliance with the Law: A Socio-Legal Analysis of the Legitimacy of Law Enforcement Institutions in Indonesia
Keywords:
Accountability, Institutional Legitimacy, Legal Compliance, Procedural Justice, Public Trust.Abstract
This study examines the relationship between procedural justice, public trust, institutional legitimacy, accountability, and legal compliance in the context of law-enforcement institutions in Indonesia. The study adopts a socio-legal approach with an explanatory quantitative design that integrates normative analysis of constitutional and statutory frameworks with empirical assessment of citizens’ perceptions of law-enforcement authority. The analysis focuses on how procedural experiences, institutional accountability, public trust, and perceptions of legitimate authority contribute to citizens’ normative acceptance and compliance with the law. Data analysis incorporates descriptive statistics, construct validity and reliability assessment, and structural equation modeling to examine direct, indirect, and mediating relationships among the relevant constructs. The analysis demonstrates that institutional legitimacy cannot be sustained through formal legal authority alone, as citizens’ acceptance is also influenced by procedural fairness, neutrality, respectful treatment, transparency, accountability, and access to effective complaint and corrective mechanisms. Judicial control over coercive measures further establishes an external safeguard against arbitrary exercises of authority and reinforces rights-based law enforcement. Public trust operates as an important link between procedural experiences and acceptance of institutional authority, while legitimacy supports compliance that extends beyond obedience motivated solely by sanctions. The study highlights the need to integrate legality, procedural justice, institutional performance, accountability, rights protection, and effective oversight to strengthen legitimate law enforcement and sustain public legal compliance.
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