Historically, most studies that have explored the experiences of criminal defendants in the American criminal Justice system, whether it is in the area of policing, courts, or corrections, have focused almost exclusively on race. Hispanics have resided in the United States since 1598 and recently bypassed African Americans in the general population for the first time in history. In this context, this book will examine the Hispanic experience in the criminal justice system by exploring a series of crucial factors. Major topics include: Hispanics and the American police, policing the barrios, immigration lockdown, the dynamics of arresting Hispanics, criminalizing Mexican identity, Latinos and the 4th Amendment, the exclusion of Latinos from Grand and Petit juries, the penal system and the critical issues facing Hispanic prisoners, probation and parole, the legacy of capital punishment, life after prison, and the dynamics of education and globalization in America. This text presents a variety of studies that illustrate alternative ways of interpreting crime, punishment, safety, equality, and justice. The findings from these studies reveal that race, ethnicity, gender, and class continue to play a significant role in the legal decision-making process. Hispanics in the U.S. Criminal Justice System is written for professionals and students of criminal justice and law enforcement in helping to understand the historical legacy of brutality, manipulation, oppression, marginalization, prejudice, discrimination, power and control, and white America's continued fear about racial and ethnic minorities.
