New Immigrant Hispanic Populations: Implications for Crime and Delinquency in the Next Decade

• NCJ Number: 156923
• Author(s): O Rodriguez
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 0 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: 52 minutes, VHS, color; NIJ Research in Progress. Video also available in open captioned.

Annotation

The director of the Hispanic Research Center at Fordham University discusses demographic data and trends regarding Hispanic immigrant populations, as well as existing and needed research on the implications of these trends for crime and juvenile delinquency and policy decisions.

Abstract

The number of Hispanic immigrants in the United States has increased greatly since 1970, especially among the many groups other than the three largest Hispanic immigrant groups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. Hispanic groups accounted for 9 percent of the country's population in 1990 and are expected to be 20 percent by 2000. The Hispanic population is much younger than the general population. The central issue is how this population will be absorbed into the mainstream and how these youths will accomplish the multiple facets of their transition to adulthood. Identity is a crucial issue. Recent research indicates that most Hispanic immigrant groups experience discrimination and that their current problems are similar to those experienced by immigrant populations at the turn of the century. Research should focus on achieving three objectives: (1) integrating current approaches that focus on different aspects of the transition to adulthood, (2) applying theories regarding non-minority adolescents to Hispanic adolescents, and (3) examining how approaches that focus on Hispanic youth can enhance mainstream research. Research on socioeconomic integration for minority adolescents, psychosocial development, and problem behavior such as juvenile delinquency and crime should incorporate issues unique to Hispanic populations. These issues include acculturation and ethnic identity, the important role of the family in the lives of Hispanic adolescents, and variations from adolescence to adulthood. It is also important to consider different combinations of predictors and relationships among factors. Questions from audience, answers by speaker, and introduction by National Institute of Justice Director Jeremy Travis