Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Winter 2026
Publication Title
DePaul Law Review
Abstract
The extensive and rapid roll out of body cameras across American police forces in the past decades was intended to improve issues of accountability and transparency in policing. Trust and perceptions of fairness of police are shaped, in large part, by how one is treated by officers and departments—the fundamental interpersonal work of procedural justice. This Article reviews findings on public and police support for body cameras, as well as research connecting body cameras to perceptions of procedural justice. It then elaborates on past research with a vignette experiment, aimed at isolating the unique and interactive effects of just policies, fair police interactions, and camera presence on perceptions of police fairness. Results indicate that fair interpersonal interactions are more impactful than camera presence in shifting police perceptions. Further, the fairness and openness of police policies creates an important framework by which cameras shift perceptions. Cameras can serve a useful role, but only within a broader system in which departments and officers interact with members of the public in fair, transparent ways.
Volume
75
Issue
2
First Page
719
Last Page
746
Version
Version of Record
Recommended Citation
Yael Granot, Procedural Justice and Body Worn Cameras, 75 DePaul L. Rev. (2026). Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review/vol75/iss2/14