Why People Obey the Law

Professor Tyler of U.C. Berkeley has written a lucid and useful treatise that explores one aspectof why people obey the law: their perceptions of the procedural and substantive justice of thelegal system. As this issue is multifaceted, Tyler examines various aspects of a wide variety of perceptions and opinions within his sample. The data he presents are extremely valuable in explaining, not why people break the law, but the equally important (or more important) question of why they usually do not. His conclusions emphasize the importance of public perceptions of substantive and especially procedural justice and how people's interactions with courts and the police shape those beliefs. Certainly, Tyler has not explained "why people obey the law," as that would be a gargantuan task (although the book is not small). Rather, he explicates one extremely important aspect of why people obey the law, and for that Tyler has made a valuable contribution to students of the law, politics, and psychology. This book will be a classic in the law and society movement, if it has not already become one.