In procedural justice, what does transparency and openness mean?

• A. Providing reasons for decisions and allowing public scrutiny.
• B. Keeping decisions secret until after the fact.
• C. Making decisions without input from the community.
• D. Only the department reviews decisions.

Answer: (B)

Transparency and openness in procedural justice means agencies provide clear, accessible reasons for their decisions and invite public scrutiny. When the reasoning behind a decision is explained and made available to the community, people can assess fairness, hold authorities accountable, and trust grows in policing and governance. This openness supports legitimacy and public confidence. The other ideas miss this intent: keeping decisions secret hides the reasoning and prevents accountability; making decisions without community input ignores public engagement; and having only the department review decisions excludes external oversight that helps ensure fairness.