I am about to launch a survey that seeks to explore if there is a connection between low self-control and peoples perceptions of procedural justice, or more specifically, their tendency to value crime control over due-process.
Research tells us that people with low self-control prefer immediate gratification over long-term satisfaction. I hypothesize that people with lower levels of self-control would allow and empower police, prosecutors, and other criminal justice actors to "bend the rules" in a sense, to get a conviction (i.e., lying to a defendant during an interrogation, not sharing evidence with defense, suppressing evidence, obtaining evidence without proper warrants, etc.). Doing these things would lead to swifter convictions in the short-run however in the long-run would damage people's perceptions of the quality of the CJ system.
However, people with low self-control tend to favor systems that are not controlling and do not perceive police (and potentially the CJ system as a whole) as legitimate.
What do you think I will see with the results of this study?
This sounds like an extremely interesting hypothesis. It sounds plausible and should make for a fascinating survey. Perhaps the following variables might also be of import.
1. I surmise that it would depend on the suspected crime to have been committed.
2. Criminal history
3. People who have faced unfair judgments either by police or others (they would be more inclined to exercise caution perhaps)
4. Religious beliefs of the individual
Would love to hear more about the survey as you continue.