Improving Legitimacy in Community-Based Corrections

A recently growing body of research has examined the importance of perceptions of legitimacy in maintaining social order. However, the literature has largely avoided applying the concept of legitimacy to community-based corrections. The author explores assorted conceptualizations of legitimacy, briefly summarizes what is presently known about how perceptions of legitimacy are shaped and how these perceptions may facilitate noncompliance with formal methods of social control, and concludes with specific recommendations for probation officers to enhance the legitimacy of community-based corrections in the eyes of those under supervision.