Non-US-Born Arrestees and Recidivism: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Arrest Data from a Florida County Sheriff’s Office

• In Event: Immigrants and Crime

Abstract

In the current political climate of the United States, anti-immigrant sentiment has come to the forefront of political discourse. While anti-immigrant rhetoric surrounds issues of unemployment and crime committed by immigrants against natives, prior research has shown that immigrants commit less crime than native born citizens of the United States (Adelman et al., 2016; Hagan, Levi & Dinovitzer 2008). Additionally, the paradoxical increase in the fear of crime during a time when crime rates are decreasing has undoubtedly contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment, explained by xenophobia and group threat theories (Stupi, Chiricos & Gertz, 2016; Hooghe and De Vroome, 2016; Wickes et al., 2013). However, the recent rise in anti-immigrant crimes and increased federal spending on deportation efforts necessitates a more thorough analysis of the connection between immigrants, crime, and recidivism. Utilizing arrest data from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Saint Petersburg, Florida, we examine the arrest patterns of over 41,000 arrestees for 2015. Specifically, we investigate whether non-US-born arrestees are prone to higher rates of criminality than native-born arrestees and if non-US-born arrestees recidivate at a higher rate than native-born arrestees. We discuss implications for policy and future research.

Authors

• Jocelyn Camacho, Old Dominion University

• Sylwia Janina Piatkowska, Old Dominion University