Minorities, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Spain (From Minorities, Migrants, and Crime: Diversity and Similarity Across Europe and the United States, P 175-197, 1997, Ineke Haen Marshall, ed. - See NCJ-171072)

• NCJ Number: 171080
• Author(s): R Barberet; E Garcia-Espana
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 23 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Research findings on minorities, crime, victimization, and criminal justice in Spain are discussed.

Abstract

Persons of foreign origin in Spain appear to be disproportionately represented in police, court, and prison statistics. They also appear to be increasingly victimized by crimes motivated by xenophobia. They also are at a disadvantage in terms of their handling by the criminal justice system. However, the small amount of data often do not clarify whether the persons of foreign origin are tourists or others simply passing through Spain, illegal immigrants, legally documented immigrants, or second-generation immigrants. These distinctions are crucial to the development of hypotheses. Nevertheless, something about a person's foreign origin appears to push a person either to become criminally involved, to be victimized, or to be noticed by criminal justice personnel. The poor socioeconomic condition of certain immigrant groups, the severing of social bonds due to immigration, and hostility in the host country may all be criminogenic factors. Spain offers an interesting case of the relationship between the criminal justice system and ethnic minorities, given its multicultural past and homogeneous present. The status of gypsies and foreign immigrants suggest that the marginalization and criminalization of these minorities is either an increasing problem or, in the case of gypsies, a longstanding problem now receiving attention. Tables, notes, and 43 references