Are Policies Like 287(g) and S.B. 1070 are Being Used to Racially Profile Latinos?

July 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Alexandria V.A., June 29, 2012 – In the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision on the
constitutionality of S.B. 1070 (Arizona v. United States) and the courts support of the “show me your papers” provision, states across the nation continue to debate whether to “crimmigration” laws like 287(g) and S.B. 1070 are being used to racially profile Latinos.
Today, The Justitia Institute releases findings from its report analyzing the effects of 287(g) on Latino juveniles in residential placement.

“The ‘Crimmigration’ Effect: An Exploratory Analysis of 287(g) and Latino Juveniles in
Residential Placement” is the first multi-jurisdictional quantitative analysis on the relationship between287(g) and the proportion of Latinos involved in the justice system.
Key findings of the report include:
• 287(g) jurisdictions may experience no effect or a negative effect on the percentage of Latino juveniles in residential placement
• There is a distinct lack of adequate data to empirically test whether or not policies like 287(g) and S.B. 1070 are disproportionately implemented against Latinos or other minority groups
• Prior research and criminological theories posit that we would not expect Latino foreign
nationals and Latino citizens, prima facia, to engage in a disproportionate amount of criminal activity. However, in the U.S. Latinos are disproportionately pulled into the criminal justice system

According to the report, despite a growing body of research suggesting that 287(g)
jurisdictions may be experiencing increases in Latino involvement in the justice system, the findings of this exploratory study did not support this claim. Specifically, 287(g) jurisdictions may experience no effect or a small negative effect on the percentage of Latino juveniles in residential placement. These findings should be taken cautiously, in light of the extremely limited nature of the data available to study this issue. Such limitations yield important insights about the type of information that criminal justice systems need to collect in order to adequately examine whether a relationship exists between immigration policy enforcement and criminal justice involvement. Such information is absolutely necessary to better inform this highly contentious policy area, with little research base for claims on both sides of the debate.
“Although persons on both sides of the immigration debate are making claims on whether laws like 287(g) and S.B. 1070 are being used to racially profile Latinos, there is little research base to answer this question definitively” said Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, Executive Director of The Justitia Institute. “Additional research on the quantitative effects of 287(g) on Latino representation in the justice system is needed to make more informed decisions on immigration policies. This is the first multi-jurisdictional quantitative analysis on the effects of laws like 287(g) and S.B. 1070 on Latino contact with the justice system, and we hope this report will encourage further research in this area.”