Normative legitimacy and youth delinquency: Partial confirmation of the procedural justice model of legal socialization in Portugal.

OBJECTIVE: Legal socialization research highlights that youth compliance is shaped by institutional legitimacy and legitimacy of the law, often fostered by fair treatment from authorities. However, less evidence exists concerning the influence of nonlegal actors and indirect experiences with the police. We expand on these gaps by testing the procedural justice model of legal socialization across Portuguese adolescents, examining (a) how perceptions of procedural justice from police, parents, and teachers and negative vicarious experiences with police shape police legitimacy and (b) how legitimacy and procedural justice relate to delinquent behavior. HYPOTHESES: We expected higher procedural justice across all authorities and fewer negative vicarious experiences with the police to predict higher perceptions of police legitimacy, and both police legitimacy and procedural justice to negatively impact delinquency. METHOD: Self-report surveys were administered to 340 adolescents (age range = 15-21 years old; 34% male; 25.3% immigrants) attending four high schools in northern Portugal. RESULTS: = .049). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide partial support for the procedural justice model of legal socialization in Portugal and highlight the role of fair treatment by parents in shaping legal attitudes. Effects of legal attitudes on behavior may be contingent on specific social contexts and developmental factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).