A Closer Look at Hispanic Immigration and the Code of the Street

• In Event: Immigration, Crime and Criminal Justice: Exploring Variations by Ethnicity, Race, and Culture

Abstract

Although research shows that increasing neighborhood levels of immigration tend to be associated with lower crime, little attention has been paid to why this is the case-- in essence what variables might help account for, or explain, these findings. Thus, the focus of this study is to explore a cultural explanation, specifically whether adherence to the code of the street helps to explain this relationship. Further, this study is looking to find the differences between immigrant generations as well as recent and established immigrants as it pertains to adherence to the code of the street. Using a random sample of 46 neighborhood clusters in El Paso, Texas, with merged survey and census data, the present research explores the relationship between a variety of neighborhood level measures of immigration and crime and to what extent the code of the street explains these relationships. The results and implications are discussed.

Author

• Nicole Cebak, University of Nevada, Las Vegas