Procedural Justice in the Context of Civil Commitment: An Analogue Study

Procedural justice theory posits that the process by which disputes are resolved in¯uences perceptions of fairness and satisfaction with outcomes, even if the outcomes are unfavorable. Within the context of civil commitment, Tyler (1992) has suggested that enhancing respondents\u27 perceptions of procedural justice (i.e., participation, dignity, and trust) during commitment proceedings might facilitate accommodation to an adverse judicial determination (i.e., commitment) and subsequently enhance therapeutic outcomes. The study reported here used videotapes of mock commitment hearings to examine whether patients committed for involuntary treatment are sensitive to procedural justice manipulations. Results suggest that patients are sensitive to procedural justice manipulations and, further, that such manipulations are likely to in¯uence the patients\u27 attitude toward psychiatric care. These ®ndings suggest that the development of strategies to enhance patients\u27 perceptions of procedural justice in commitment hearings may indeed have positive therapeutic implications and warrants further investigation