‘Like chalk and cheese’: accounts of police use of force from formerly incarcerated people and implications for procedural justice theory

While our understanding of the use of force is predominantly based on police accounts, this article explores accounts of those on the receiving end, specifically formerly incarcerated people, who are underrepresented in the use of force and procedural justice literature alike. Using in-depth interviews with nine such participants, we find they are often positive, offering the police ‘credit where credit is due’ and also, at times, excusing descriptions of excessive force. Yet, while offering the police empathy and respect, they describe not consistently receiving it back, citing concerns over excessive force, neutrality, handling of mental health crises, and untrustworthiness, which, for some, was more damaging and significant than the use of force itself. These findings partially evidence a ‘procedural justice effect’, but find important nuances around how procedural justice theory and police legitimacy operate in a marginalized, liminal population. Implications for policy and practice, including participant suggestions, are also discussed.