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Immigrants and the criminal justice system: an exploratory study
R C Davis1, E Erez, N E Avitabile
1Victim Services, New York, NY, USA.
Violence and Victims
|July 3, 1998
Summary
Recent immigrants, contrary to expectations, face few unique challenges with the U.S. criminal justice system. Their experiences and satisfaction levels with police and courts are similar to native-born victims.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Immigration Studies
Background:
- Significant barriers are often presumed to hinder recent immigrants' engagement with the criminal justice system.
- Limited empirical research exists on the specific experiences of immigrant crime victims in the United States.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically investigate the experiences of recent immigrant victims within the U.S. criminal justice system.
- To compare immigrant victims' interactions and satisfaction with law enforcement and judicial processes against native-born victims.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory study design.
- Utilized convenience sampling to gather data from recent immigrant crime victims.
- Focused on experiences with police and court systems.
Main Results:
- Contrary to prevailing assumptions, immigrant victims reported minimal problems unique to their foreign-born status.
- Satisfaction levels among immigrant victims were comparable to those reported for native-born victims.
- Few unique challenges were identified in dealing with police and courts.
Conclusions:
- Recent immigrants' experiences and satisfaction with the criminal justice system are largely similar to native-born victims.
- While expectations may differ, practical interactions and outcomes show notable parallels.
- Findings challenge the notion of pervasive, unique barriers for immigrant victims in the justice system.