Trust and confidence in the courts: Does the quality of treatment young offenders receive affect their views of the courts?

It is assumed that legitimacy of the legal system is important, yet almost nothing is known about how young offenders view this institution. A sample of youths were interviewed at their first appearance in court and asked about their feelings regarding how they have been treated (procedural justice) by their lawyer, by the crown attorney, and by the judge, as well as their views on the overall legitimacy of the legal system. Youths were again interviewed at sentencing, using the same questionnaire, to explore changes in their views over time. Generally, it appears that how youths feel they have been treated- specifically, by their own lawyer and by the judge-affected broad views of legitimacy, even when controlling for their overall satisfaction of the outcome of their case.