Immigration And Crime

The supposed link between immigration and crime is a highly contentious issue. This innovative book examines the evidence.

The perception of the immigrant as criminal or deviant has a long history in the United States, with many groups (e.g., Irish, Italians, Latinos) having been associated with perceived increases in crime and other social problems, although data suggest this is not necessarily the case. This Handbook examines the relationship between immigration and crime by presenting chapters reflecting key issues from both historical and current perspectives. The volume includes a range of topics related to immigration and crime, such as the links between immigration rates and crime rates, nativity and crime, and the social construction of the criminal immigrant, as well as historical and current immigration policy vis-à-vis perceptions of the criminal immigrant. Other topics covered in this volume include theoretical perspectives on immigration and assimilation, sanctuary cities, and immigration in the context of the "war on terror." The Routledge Handbook on Immigration and Crime fills the gap in the literature by offering a volume that includes original empirical work as well as review essays that deliver a complete overview of immigration and crime relying on both historical and contemporary perspectives. It is a key collection for students in immigration courses; scholars and researchers in diverse disciplines including criminal justice, criminology, sociology, demography, law, psychology, and urban studies; and policy makers dealing with immigration and border security concerns.

An essential collection that argues fears of immigrant crime are largely unfounded The original essays in this much-needed collection broadly assess the contemporary patterns of crime as related to immigration, race, and ethnicity. Immigration and Crime covers both a variety of immigrant groups—mainly from Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America--and a variety of topics including: victimization, racial conflict, juvenile delinquency, exposure to violence, homicide, drugs, gangs, and border violence. The volume provides important insights about past understandings of immigration and crime, many based on theories that have proven to be untrue or racially biased, as well as offering new scholarship on salient topics. Overall, the contributors argue that fears of immigrant crime are largely unfounded, as immigrants are themselves often more likely to be the victims of discrimination, stigmatization, and crime rather than the perpetrators. Contributors: Avraham Astor, Carl L. Bankston III, Robert J. Bursik, Jr., Roberto G. Gonzales, Sang Hea Kil, Golnaz Komaie, Jennifer Lee, Matthew T. Lee, Ramiro Martínez, Jr., Cecilia Menjívar, Jeffrey D. Morenoff, Charlie V. Morgan, Amie L. Nielsen, Rubén G. Rumbaut, Rosaura Tafoya-Estrada, Abel Valenzuela, Jr., Min Zhou.

This book proposes an interdisciplinary, multicultural and contemporary approach to examining the controversial links between migration and crime. It includes empirical research on migrants and crime to explore the risk and realities of crime and migration, as well as how mass media in different regions of the world has covered violent acts that have involved migrants (as victims or aggressors). The chapters are written by authors from various countries including the UK, Turkey, Slovenia, Iraq, Albania, Chile, the Republic of Moldavia, and Romania, and from different fields of research including: criminology, sociology, political sciences and communication. They bring to light new ideas, new methodologies and results that could be taken and developed further. This volume allows readers to explore the impact of migration on crime.

The problem of social control has constituted the acid test for the entire issue of immigration and integration. But whilst recent studies show that the crime rate for non-nationals is three, four or more, times higher than that of the country’s 'own' citizens, academic interest in these statistics has been inhibited by the political difficulties they raise. Immigration, Social Integration and Crime addresses this issue directly. Providing a thorough analysis of immigration and crime rates in all of the main European countries, as well as examining the situation in the US, Luigi M. Solivetti concludes that the widespread notion that a large non-national population produces high crime rates must be rejected. Noting the undeniably substantial, but significantly variable, contribution of non-nationals to crime statistics in Western Europe, he nevertheless goes on to analyze and explain the factors that influence the relationship between immigration and crime. It is the characteristics of the 'host' countries that are shown to be significantly associated with non-nationals’ integration and, ultimately, their involvement in crime. In particular, Solivetti concludes, it is 'social capital' in the host societies – comprized of features such as education, transparency, and openness – that plays a key role in non-nationals’ integration chances, and so in their likelihood to commit crime. Supported by extensive empirical data and statistical analysis, Immigration, Social Integration and Crime provides an invaluable contribution to one of the most pressing social and political debates – in Europe, and elsewhere.

Examines the nexus between immigration and crime from all of the angles. This work addresses not just the evidence regarding the criminality of immigrants but also the research on the victimization of immigrants; human trafficking; domestic violence; the police handling of human trafficking; and, the exportation to crime problems via deportation.

This title was first published in 2002: The issue of immigration and crime in all of its many contexts and forms, is a problem which affects numerous countries throughout the world. In many countries, immigrants have been accused of disproportionate involvement in crime while, in others, immigrants are often claimed to be the victims of criminal offenders, as well as indifferent criminal justice systems. The subjects covered within this informative collection include the offending and victimization rates of immigrants and their dependants, institutional racism, human trafficking/smuggling and ethnic conflicts. In particular, the problems faced by female immigrants are addressed in detail. Whilst some papers look at the issues facing particular countries, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel and Turkey, others adopt a more comparative approach. Migration, Culture Conflict and Crime is an essential and compelling read for all those with a strong interest in this important area. Not only does it significantly advance our scientific knowledge concerning the relationship between immigration, crime and justice, but it also sets forth a number of proposals which, if implemented, could address many of the problems found in these areas.