Immigrant Threat, Context, and Incarceration: A Multilevel Analysis

• In Event: Identity, Immigration, and Perceptions of Crime and Justice

Abstract

Empirical research on immigrants has become increasingly popular yet few studies explore sentencing decisions of immigrant defendants. Moreover, little attention is paid to the influence of immigrant communities on these sentencing decisions. The proposed study examines the extent to which community factors explain variation in sentencing outcomes among immigrant populations. To assess this research question, I draw on the threat perspective while using the Florida Department of Corrections Sentencing Guidelines database from 2000 to 2006, as well as the US Census Data for 2000. The results of the study aim to show that differences in immigrant communities significantly affect disparities in sentencing outcomes.

Author

• Malisa N. Neptune, Florida State University