Publications

This paper reviews the British research literature on public trust and confidence in criminal justice. The review falls into three sections. The first section documents the ways in which trust, confidence and legitimacy have been defined and measured. The second section outlines (a) levels of public confidence and (b) trends and trajectories over the past few decades. The third examines the various explanations put forward for the roots and dynamics of public perceptions of criminal justice. In line with extant research in this area, the primary focus of the review is on the police.