1800s: Martineau · Tocqueville · Marx · Spencer · Le Bon · Ward · Pareto · Tönnies · Veblen · Simmel · Durkheim · Addams · Mead · Weber · Du Bois · Mannheim · Elias Legal cynicism is a domain of legal socialization defined by a perception that the legal system and law enforcement agents are "illegitimate, unresponsive, and ill equipped to ensure public safety.
"[1][2] It is related to police legitimacy, and the two serve as important ways for researchers to study citizens' perceptions of law enforcement.
In the survey, respondents were asked to rank, on a four-point scale, the extent to which they agreed with each of these statements: Legal cynicism can be exacerbated when police engage in aggressive misconduct in a community, which can lead to greater violence and less cooperation between the community's citizens and the police.
[8] Legal cynicism and legitimacy both have significant effects on criminal offending, even after accounting for self-control.
[11] It has also been found to affect parents' assessments of their adolescent children's violent behavior.