SSC Virtual Seminar Series: Alana Saulnier, Department of Sociology, Queen's University

Procedural Justice Concerns and Technologically Mediated Interactions with Legal Authorities

Seminar recording available here

Wednesday, September 29, 2021


12:30 – 2:00 pm

*Due to the limited capacity of the online-meeting platform, we have to adopt a first-come-first-serve principle. We will send the seminar link and password to registered participants.

Please RSVP to Joan Sharpe by Monday, September 27, 2021.


Abstract:
As new data collection technologies expand into law enforcement spaces previously dominated by interpersonal interactions, questions emerge about whether the public will evaluate interpersonal and technologically mediated interactions with legal authorities in the same ways. In an analysis guided by procedural justice theory, we examine whether and how legal authorities’ use of decision-making technology affects public evaluations of an authority-subordinate interaction and its outcome in the context of airport border crossings. Technologically mediated encounters improved perceptions of procedural and distributive justice. Further, procedural justice judgments mediated the relationship between encounter type and distributive justice, demonstrating how perceptions of interactions influence perceptions of the outcomes of those interactions. Outgroup members were evaluated as having worse experiences across all measures. The findings underscore the importance of extending tests of procedural justice theory beyond interpersonal interactions to technologically mediated interactions, particular in relation to surveillance technologies.



About the speaker:

Alana Saulnier, Department of Sociology, Queen's University

Alana’s research focuses on relationships between legal authorities and the public with a particular focus on how the use of surveillance technologies augments those relationships. Her research chiefly centres on documenting, evaluating, and governing legal authorities use of data collection and management technologies (e.g., body-worn cameras, unpiloted aerial vehicles, etc.), but she also frequently engages experimental methods to explore the nuances of public perceptions of, and reactions to, legal authorities’ use of surveillance technologies. These areas of interest are connected to Alana’s commitment to advancing the evidenced-based policing movement more generally. She advocates for policing and surveillance that is fair, accountable, and transparent, and is interested in partnering with practitioners to achieve these outcomes. Alana has held formal research partnerships with over 20 police services in Ontario.

Everyone welcome!

For more information about our seminars, please visit: https://www.sscqueens.org/events/