NCJ Number
90403
Journal
Agenda Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (May/June 1980) Pages: 14-19
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article documents the need for statistics and criminal histories on Hispanic offenders as well as program needs for such offenders.
Abstract
The number of Hispanic or Spanish-speaking inmates throughout the United States is increasing dramatically. This trend is especially apparent in Texas, California, Florida, and New York, where the number of Hispanic inmates has grown faster, proportionally, than the total number of inmates. For too long, the Hispanic has been a minority within a minority in the criminal justice system and has been given relatively little attention in the caseloads of probation and parole officials. The lack of Spanish-speaking professionals or paraprofessionals in criminal justice has crippled efforts to provide the language and cultural linkages so vital to equitable decisions about the handling of the Hispanic offender. The increase in the number of convicted Hispanics mandates a wider range of bilingual programs of education, counseling, vocational training, religious programs, etc. Correspondingly, there is a critical need to employ Hispanic or Spanish-speaking professionals who can work as custodial personnel, teachers, counselors, administrators, or probation and parole officers. Such personnel must also fill positions in law enforcement, the judiciary, prosecution, and legal aid. To address the demands of Hispanics in the criminal justice system, reliable data are necessary to assess the characteristics of incarcerated Hispanics. Such data do not now exist. Whatever information is available is obscured in confusing tables and charts.