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International Journal of Advance Research, IJOAR .org ISSN 2320-9151 1
International Journal of Advance Research, IJOAR .org Volume 2, Issue 11, November 2014, Online: ISSN 2320-9151
LATINOS AND THE JUVENILE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Damon J. Bullock, Ph.D. KeyWords
Criminal justice system, Disproportionate representation of Latinos, Latinos, Latinos and criminal justice system, racial inequity in criminal justice system, racial inclusion, racial minorities.
ABSTRACT
This paper reports facts and figures on the disproportionate representation of Latinos in the juvenile criminal justice system. However, it is beneficial to begin by building an understanding of how this biasness is reached in the first place. So in-group versus out-groups and social hierarchy will be examined to determine how these concepts favors some over others. Various theories on group dynamics explain the me-chanics of prejudice and institutional racism. For example, Shawn O. Utsey, Joseph G. Ponterotto, and Jerlym S. Porter (2008) address the origins, mechanisms, and expressions of prejudice. They argue that racism continues to be a pervasive problem throughout world (Ponterot-to, Porter, & Utsey 2008). In other words, racism can be broadly manifested into such actions as institutional racism, housing discrimination, the committing of hate crimes, and so forth just as much as they can appear in anecdotes and jokes. Latinos in literature list their likelihood of being treated harshly in the criminal justice. Mistreatment of this sort consists of being denied bail, harassed by the police, and impris-oned at disproportional rates compared to whites. As of 2003 12% of all Black males in their 20s were in prison or jail; almost 4% of Latinos and only 1.5% of whites in their 20s were incarcerated (Harrison, 2003; Rios, 2006). In closing, strength of the United States lies in its multi-cultural society and ability to embrace diversity as a realistic aspect of this country. The United States is becoming a minority-majority na-tion. So it is imperative to address any issues relating to institutional discrimination and social policies that reinforce social equality.
International Journal of Advance Research, IJOAR .org ISSN 2320-9151 2
Source: Spohn, Cassia C. (2000). Thirty Year of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process. Policies, Processes, and Decisions of the Criminal Justice System. Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Pgs. 427-501.
International Journal of Advance Research, IJOAR .org ISSN 2320-9151 15
In closing, strength of the United States lies in its multicultural society and ability to embrace diversity
as a realistic aspect of this country. The United States is becoming a minority-majority nation. So it is
imperative to address any issues relating to institutional discrimination and social policies that rein-
force social equality. Race is a social and political construct where some enjoy benefits, resources,
and privileges while disenfranchising others. In the United States, Whites enjoy these benefits while
minorities are subject to unfair treatment and oftentimes hostile retaliation. For example, research re-
ports that minorities who are offenders receive more time in prison if the victim is white compared to
another minority. It is imperative to develop policies to address the issue of institutional discrimination
and opportunities for social mobility. In other words, creating a fair social system and network to the
American community will build a stronger and better unified country.
References
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[2] Burke, Peter J. 2006. Contemporary Social Psychological Theories. California: Stanford University Press.
[3] Hogg, Michael A. 2003. “Intergroup Relations.” In Handbook of Social Psychology, ed. by John Delamater, 479-501. New York: Kluwer Academ-
ic/Plenum Publishers.
[4] Moeller, Marguerite. 2011. Reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act: The Impact on Latino Youth. The National Council of La Raza
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[5] North Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense. 2012. “Representing Hispanic/Latino Youth in Juvenile Delinquency Court.” Office of the Juve-
nile Defender, February 5 2014 at < www.ncids.org/JuvenileDefender/.../Hispanic_LatinoYouth.pdf >
[6] Passel, Jeffrey S. 2011. Census 2010: 50 Million Latinos/Hispanics Account for More than Half of Nation’s Growth in Past Decade. Washington,
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[7] Ponterrotto, Joseph G., Porter, Jerlym S., & Utsey, Shawn O. 2008. Prejudice and Racism, Year 2008-Still Going Strong: Research on Reducing Preju-
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[8] Ramirez, Roberto R. and Therrien, Melissa. 2000. The Hispanic Population in the United States: Population Characteristics. U.S. Department of
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[9] Rios, Victor M. 2006. The Hyper-Criminalization of Black and Latino Male Youth in the Era of Mass Incarceration. Racializing Justice, Disenfran-
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[10] Song, Eugene. 2009. Coping with Intercultural Transactions in Multicultural Societies. Social Behavior and Personality 37: 273-288.
[11] Spohn, Cassia C. 2000. Thirty Year of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process. Department of Criminal Justice at
the University of Nebraska at Omaha: Policies, Processes, and Decisions of the Criminal Justice System. [12] The Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights. 2014. Race and juvenile justice system, February 3 2014 at <