Tom Tyler and the Justice Collaboratory Commemorate 50 Years of Procedural Justice
On Nov. 21–22, 2025, social scientists from around the globe convened at Yale Law School to celebrate that 50th anniversary of procedural justice and reflect and build upon its legacy. Hosted by the Justice Collaboratory and funded by the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund, the two-day event kicked off with opening remarks from Executive Director Caroline Nobo and Co-founder Tom Tyler, Macklin Fleming Professor Emeritus of Law, who has led the research to develop and influence procedural justice theory.
Fifty years ago, John Thibaut and Laurens Walker explored the influence of fair decision-making, i.e. procedural justice, in “Procedural Justice: A Psychological Analysis.”
Procedural justice is the psychology-based theory that fair processes result in the perception of fair outcomes and public acceptance. Tyler’s research focuses on the nature of interactions between individuals and social institutions, including police. In his work, he has demonstrated that procedural justice is more effective than threats of punishment in shaping rule-following and decision acceptance.
During the conference, Justice Collaboratory Co-founder Tracey Meares spoke about the personal impact of Tyler’s procedural justice work: “When I first read Tom Tyler’s book “Why People Obey the Law” [which expands procedural justice theory], it blew my mind. To address violence from a voluntary compliance perspective was revolutionary.”
The event brought together scholars steeped in law and psychology, with an interest in legitimacy, to reflect on the progress of the theory and to call for a procedural justice that meets the challenges for the 21st century.
Among the multidisciplinary and multinational group of participants were Meares; Professors Monica Bell ’09, Judith Resnik, and Taisu Zhang ’08; and Yale Professor of Black Studies and Psychology Phillip Atiba Soloman. Researchers represented universities across the globe, including Arizona State University, London School of Economics, University of Haifa, Griffith University (Australia), University of Amsterdam, and Kings College London.
Over the course of two days, seven panels explored the impact of procedural justice and the broader implications for the theory; addressed new applications of procedural justice as technologies such as remote court hearings and AI-integrated criminal justice processes emerge; discussed the potential for procedural justice around the world; and examined the potential of procedural reform in communities in the future.
At the conclusion of the conference Tyler noted: “The range and rigor of the studies presented shows the continuing vitality of the idea of procedural justice 50 years after the publication of Thibaut and Walker’s book. Procedural justice continues to provide a valuable framework within which societal issues and problems can be productively addressed.”
