Which of the following is a pillar of procedural justice?

• A. Transparency and openness
• B. Impartiality and unbiased decision-making
• C. Fairness and consistency
• D. Voice and representation

Answer: (C)

Procedural justice is about how decisions are made, focusing on the fairness of the process itself rather than just the outcomes. The best choice here is fairness and consistency because it captures the essence of a just procedure: rules are applied in a fair manner and in a consistent way across similar cases. When procedures are fair and applied consistently, people perceive the system as legitimate and are more likely to accept decisions, even if they don’t get the outcome they want.

Impartiality and unbiased decision-making relate to neutrality, which is a component of how the process should function, but the pairing of fairness with consistent application is the core idea that underpins procedural justice. Voice and representation emphasize having a chance to be heard, and transparency emphasizes openness; both are important aspects of fair processes, but they don’t single out the sustained, equivalent application of rules across cases in the same way that fairness and consistency do.