A Decade of Research from the El Paso Neighborhood Survey Project: Lessons Learned and Advances in Understanding Criminality and Policing among Latinx and Immigrant Populations

• In Event: The El Paso Neighborhood Survey Project: A Reflection of Prior Work and Pathways Forward

Abstract

The El Paso County Neighborhood Survey studies immigrants, crime, and victimization in a region that is majority Latina/o, with a significant representation of migrant families and poverty, located along the U.S.-Mexico border. First, we will begin with a discussion of the data and methods of this project and how it has elements of decolonizing methodologies. Second, we proceed to discuss this project's contribution to the criminology field. Major advances in understanding criminal behavior stemming from this project show that enculturation to México is protective at both the individual and neighborhood levels. Interestingly, acculturation to the US and other measures of culture (i.e., familismo and machismo) have no associations with measures of criminality. From the standpoint of law enforcement, two pioneering strands of research have emerged. First, migrants and second-generation Latinos/are more likely to experience citizenship profiling by law enforcement, and this treatment seriously erodes cooperation with the police. Second, findings show that migrants have a strong desire to keep a low profile from the police, which, in turn, is associated with higher levels of legal cynicism. 

Authors

• Theodore R. Curry, University of Texas at El Paso

• Maria Cristina Morales, University of Texas at El Paso