Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts

Major

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Date of Defense

4-17-2025

Graduate Advisor

Professor Lee Slocum

Committee

Professor David Klinger

Professor Adam Boessen

Abstract

Vigilante justice remains a persistent issue in Ghana, with a significant portion of Ghanaians subscribing to it to address their grievances. While existing research has examined the social and cultural drivers of vigilante justice in Ghana, the role of visible police presence (i.e., police station and police patrol) on vigilante justice has received limited attention. This study seeks to add to the literature by exploring the relationship between visible police presence and support for vigilante justice by drawing on Black’s (1983) Self-Help Theory. First, I argue that a visible police force directly reduces public support for vigilante justice and indirectly via government efforts at addressing crime and police responsiveness. Also, I argue that perceptions of procedural justice reduce public support for vigilante justice via police legitimacy. Using data from Afrobarometer Round 7, the findings suggest that a visible police station is associated with lower support for vigilante justice both directly and indirectly via perceived police responsiveness. In contrast, a visible police patrol did not predict public support for vigilante justice in Ghana. Additionally, police legitimacy is not a significant predictor of public support for vigilante justice in Ghana. Several other control variables were associated with support for vigilante justice. Respondents with formal education were less likely to support vigilante justice. Also, individuals who reported being a victim of theft in the past 6 months were more likely to report support for vigilante justice. The implications of the current findings are discussed.

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