Pew Hispanic Center Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System 2009
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ll/~ Pew=::r~ Report H1SPClTIlC Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure Mark Hugo Lopez Associate Director Pew Hispanic Center Gretchen Livingston Senior Researcher Pew Hispanic Center The Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization that seeks to improve public understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the nation. It does not take positions on policy issues. The center is part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" based in Washington, D.C., and it is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based public charity. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewhispanic.org. The staff of the Center is: Paul Taylor, Director Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research Richard Fry, Senior Research Associate Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher Daniel Dockterman, Research Assistant Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director Jeffrey S. Passel, Senior Demographer Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, Senior Analyst Mary Seaborn, Administrative Manager 1615 L Street, NW, Suite 700 • Washington, DC 20036-5610 • Phone: 202-419-3600 • Fax: 202-419-3608 • www.pewhispanic.org PewResearchCenter Copyright © 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure Executive Summary At a time when Latinos are interacting more than ever with police, courts and prisons, their confidence in the U.S. criminal justice system is closer to the low levels expressed by blacks than to the high levels expressed by whites, according to a pair of nationwide surveys by the Pew Research Center. 1 Figure 1 Confidence in the Legal System, by Race and Ethnicity OlH!Sricn: How rot'fidenr lire y<w • A great deal/A fair amount r!>.Jr...! (%) • Just someN€fy little Police officer; in your community will do a good job enforcing the law Whites Six-in-ten (61%) Hispanics say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that the police in their local communities will do a good job enforcing the law, compared with 78% of whites and 55% of blacks. Just under half (46%) of Hispanics say they have confidence that police officers will not use excessive force on suspects, compared with 73% of whites and 38% of blacks. Similarly, just under half of Hispanics say they are confident that police officers will treat Hispanics fairly (45%) and that courts will treat Hispanics fairly (49%). In comparison, 74% of whites and 37% of blacks say they have confidence that the police will treat blacks and whites equally (Pew Social & Demographic Trends, 2007). Hispanics Blacks Police officers in your community will not use excessive force on suspects Whites Hispanics Blacks Courts in your community will treat Hispanics fairly 44 Note; Responses of"Oon't know" an" "Refused" not shown. Whrtes include only non-Hi~ank whites, 61acks indude only non-Hispank blacks Source; Hi~ank results f'om Pew Hispanic Center 200I:I National Survey of Latinos; whrte and black ,esults ,,"om Pew Social & Demographic Trends. "Blacks SeoeGrowing Values Gap !lel:ween Poor and MiddleClass; Optimism about Black Progress ~~nes." November 2007 In recent decades, Hispanics’ exposure to all parts of the criminal justice system has risen even faster than their rising share of the U.S. adult population. In state, federal and local prisons and jails, the share of inmates who were Hispanic increased from 16% in 2000 to 20% in 2008 (West and Sabol, 2009). During this period, the share of Hispanics in the adult U.S. population rose from 11% to 13%. Overall, according to the Pew Center on the States, some 4% of adult Hispanics in 2007 were either in prison or jail or on probation or parole. This is larger than the share of whites (2%) who were under some form of corrections control in 2007 and smaller than the share of blacks (9%). 1 The Pew Hispanic Center National Survey of Latinos 2008 sampled 2,015 Hispanic adults between June 9 and July 13, 2008. The Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project’s Racial Attitudes in America Survey sampled 3,086 adults between September 5 and October 6, 2007. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure As for rates of violent crime victimization, Hispanic levels (28.4 per 1,000 individuals) were higher than those of whites (23.9 per 1,000) and lower than those of blacks (32.9 per 1,000) in 2006 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). 2 In the past 15 years, rates of victimization for all three groups have fallen by more than half (Catalano, 2006). ii Figure 2 Confidence in Equal Treatment by Police, by Race and Ethnicity (96 Sdying "A great dear or '"A ("ir "mount? How confident are you that police officers in your community will ... ? Treat Hispanics fairly Hispanics Treat blacks and whiles equally This report is based on a bilingual telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,015 Hispanics ages 18 and older. Interviews were conducted from June 9 through July 13, 2008, by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For a description of the survey methodology, see Appendix 1. Whites Blacks NOIe, ResponSt!sof"Don~ know" and "Refused" nOl shown. Wh~es include only non·Hi~panic whites. Blacks include only non·Hispanic blacks Source: Hispanic resuks from Pew Hispanoc Center 2008 National Survey of Latinos; white and block resuks from Pew$ocial & Demographic Trends. "Blacks See Growing Values Gap 8e(ween Poor and Middle Class; Oplimismaboul BI""k Progress Declines," November 2007 Other key findings of the report: 2 • More than one-third (35%) of Latinos report that there are areas within a mile of their home where they are afraid to walk alone at night, similar to the share of the general population that feels the same way (37%). • More than three-quarters (78%) of Hispanics say that if they were a victim of a violent crime, they would definitely report that crime to the police. • Overall, more than half (56%) of Latinos say they or an immediate family member had contact with the criminal justice system in the previous five years. Contact includes reporting a crime to the police, serving on a jury, being arrested, being on probation or parole, or serving time in jail or prison. • Among all Hispanics, 27% say they or an immediate family member had reported a crime in the previous five years. • Nearly one-quarter (23%) of Hispanics say they or an immediate family member had been questioned by the police (for any reason) in the previous five years. Victimization rates reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics for whites and blacks include the Hispanic portions of those populations. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure • Among all Hispanics, 15% say they or someone in their immediate family had been arrested in the previous five years. • Some 17% of Latinos say they or an immediate family member had been under some kind of criminal corrections control in the previous five years. Pew Hispanic Center iii April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure iv About this Report The 2008 National Survey of Latinos asked Hispanic adults about their views of the police and courts in their communities, their perceptions of crime and any interaction they or their immediate family members have had with the criminal justice system. The survey was conducted from June 9 through July 13, 2008, among a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 2,015 Hispanic adults. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. A Note on Terminology The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report, as are the terms “foreign born” and “immigrant.” The terms “whites” and “blacks” are used to refer to the non-Hispanic components of their population unless otherwise noted. About the Authors Mark Hugo Lopez is the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center. Prior to joining the Center, Lopez was research director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement as well as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. His areas of expertise include crime, labor economics, civic engagement, and voting behavior. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. Gretchen Livingston is a senior researcher at the Pew Hispanic Center. Her primary areas of interest include immigrant adaptation, gender, social networks and family structure. She earned her Ph.D. in demography and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Pew Hispanic Center, she was a visiting research fellow at the Princeton University Office of Population Research. Recommended Citation Lopez, Mark Hugo and Gretchen Livingston. “Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure.” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (April 7, 2009). Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure v Acknowledgments The authors thank Paul Taylor for his editorial and intellectual guidance. We also thank Cary L. Funk, Scott Keeter, Rakesh Kochhar, Susan Minushkin, Felisa Gonzales and Michael T. Light for their guidance in the development of the survey questionnaire. Daniel Dockterman provided outstanding support for the production of the report. Ana Gonzalez-Barrera checked numbers in the report. Marcia Kramer was the copy editor. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure vi Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... ii About this Report................................................................................................... iv A Note on Terminology ......................................................................................... iv About the Authors.................................................................................................. iv Recommended Citation.......................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments................................................................................................... v Contents ....................................................................................................................... vi Confidence in the Criminal Justice System .................................................................. 1 Reporting Crimes to the Police ..................................................................................... 3 Reporting Violent Crime......................................................................................... 3 Reporting Property Crime....................................................................................... 4 Contact with the Criminal Justice System .................................................................... 6 Reporting Crime to the Police........................................................................... 6 Being Questioned by the Police........................................................................ 7 Serving on a Jury .............................................................................................. 7 Attending Court on a Criminal Matter.............................................................. 7 Being Arrested .................................................................................................. 7 Interacting with the Corrections System........................................................... 7 Serving as a Sworn Witness in Court ............................................................... 8 Neighborhood Safety .................................................................................................... 8 References..................................................................................................................... 9 Appendix A: Survey Methodology............................................................................. 10 Appendix B: National Survey of Latinos 2008, Topline ............................................ 12 Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 1 Confidence in the Criminal Justice System Six-in-10 (61%) Hispanics report a Figure 3 Confidence in the Legal System Among Hispanics great deal or a fair amount of OlH!Stion: How confident "r~ y"" t!>.Jt...! (%) confidence that police officers in their community will do a good job of • Just someNery little • A great deal/A fair amount enforcing the law, and 57% are Police officers in your commun;ty wilk confident that police will do a good job Doa good job 36 enforcing the law of dealing with gangs. However, this Doa good job still leaves a notable minority who hold 38 dealing with gangs a negative opinion about police Not use excessive 47 force on suspects behavior. A plurality (47%) express just some or very little confidence that Treat Hispanics failly 50 police will avoid using excessive force on suspects, while 46% have a great Courts in your community will: deal or a fair amount of confidence. 44 Treat Hispanics failly Half (50%) of Hispanics have just some or very little confidence that police will NOle; Responses of "Don't know" and "Refused" nO( shown Source; Pew Hispanic Center 2000 National Survey of Latinos treat Hispanics fairly, while 45% feel a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that Figure 4 the treatment will be fair. In regard to the Confidence in the Legal System, courts, 44% of Hispanics have just some or by Race and Ethnicity very little confidence that they will treat Ouestion: H<'w mntkknt''''e you t!>.Jt police officers In your community wiR... ? (%) Hispanics fairly, and 49% have a great deal • A great deal/A fair amount • Just someNery little or a fair amount of confidence that courts Do a good job enforcing the law will treat Hispanics fairly. Two of the five questions about confidence in the legal system asked of Latinos in 2008 were also asked of blacks and whites in 2007 (Pew Social & Demographic Trends, 2007). On those questions, levels of confidence among Latinos fall between the levels reported by whites and blacks. Nearly eightin-ten (78%) whites have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in their local police to do a good job enforcing laws, while 61% of Latinos and 55% of blacks share that sentiment. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of whites report a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that police will not use excessive Pew Hispanic Center Whites Hisp.mics Blacks Not use excessive force on suspects Whites Hisp.mics Blacks NOle: Responses of "Don't ~now" and "Refused" not shown. Whites include only non-Hispanic whites. Blac"" include only non·Hispanic blacks Source: Hispanic results from Pew Hispanic Comter 2008 Nalional Survey of Latinos; white and black results I,om Pew Soc,,1 & Detn09<aphic Tromds. "Blacks SooGrowing Values Gap Between Poor and MiddleClass; Oplimiwn about Black Progress Declines," Novembe< 2007 April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure force on suspects, while 46% of Latinos and 38% of blacks express the same opinion. A similar pattern emerges on the issue of police treatment of minorities. While Latinos were asked about their confidence that police would treat Latinos fairly, in 2007 blacks and whites were asked an analogous question about their confidence that police officers treat blacks and whites equally. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of whites had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that police treat blacks and whites equally. Half as many (37%) blacks reported the same. In comparison, 45% of Latinos state that they feel a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that police will treat Hispanics fairly. Young Latinos generally are less confident in the justice system than are older Latinos. While 54% of Latinos ages 18 to 29 have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that the police will do a good job of enforcing the law, this share is lower than the share of Latinos ages 30 to 39 (62%), ages 40 to 54 (66%) and ages 55 or older (67%) who say the same. 2 Figure 5 Confidence in Equal Treatment by Police, by Race and Ethnicity (96 .<aying "A great d&lr or 'A lair amcwnt") How confident are you that police officers in your community will ... ? Treat Hispanics fairly Treat blacks and whites equally Whites Blacks Note: Re$pOnsesof"Oon~ know";mel "Refused" not shown. Whites indude only non-Hispanic whites. 81;,,:k< indude only non-Hispanic blacks Source: Hispanic resuks from Pew Hispanic Center 2008 National Survey of Latinos; white and black resuks from Pew Social & Demographic Trends. "81;,,:ks See Growing Values Gap 8etween Poor and Middle Class; Optimismabout Bklck Progress [)e;:lines," November 2007 Figure 6 Younger Hispanics Less Confident in Law Enforcement (96 .<aying "A great d&lr or 'A I"ir "mcwnt7 How confident are you that police officers in your community will do a good job enforcing the law? On three out of five confidence measures, immigrant Latinos report less confidence in the legal system than do native-born Latinos. Half (50%) of native-born Latinos report a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that police will avoid using excessive force on suspects, while Source: Pew Hispanic Cente, 2008 National Survey of Latinos 42% of immigrant Latinos express the same level of confidence. Fifty-one percent of native-born Latinos are confident that police will treat Hispanics fairly, compared with 40% of the foreign born. Six-inten (60%) native-born Latinos feel a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that the courts will treat Hispanics fairly. In contrast, 42% of immigrant Latinos say the same. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 3 Reporting Crimes to the Police Reporting Violent Crime 3 Nearly eight-in-ten (78%) Hispanics state that if they were a victim of a violent crime, they would definitely report the incident to the police. The likelihood of reporting a violent crime incident differs by age, education and gender. Latinos ages 30 or older are more likely than Latinos ages 18 to 29 to say they would definitely report a violent crime incident to the police—84% versus 69%. Latinos with at least some college education (86%) are more likely to say they would definitely report a violent crime than are Latinos with a high school diploma (76%) or those with less than a high school diploma (77%). Women are more likely than men to say they definitely would report being a victim of a violent crime—82% versus 75%. Table 1 Likelihood of Reporting Crime Incidents Among Hispanics (96 who S<ly that ift~y were" crime vierim, they would definitely r..port thecrl",..) Violent crime Burglary or property crime 78 84 77 79 85 83 69 80 85 86 79 85 88 89 77 76 86 80 83 Citizenship U.s. citizen Non-U.s.citizen 78 78 86 80 Gender Male 7S 81 86 Total Nativity Native born Foreign born Ago 18-29 30-39 40-54 55+ Educational Attainment less than high school High school diploma Some college or higher Female 93 " Source: Pew Hispanic Cente, 2008 National Su,vey of Latinos While most Latinos say that if they were a victim of a violent crime, they would report that incident to the police, a small share (5%) say they probably or definitely would not report the crime. Among those who say they would not report being a victim of a violent crime, nearly three-in-ten (29%) cite a fear of repercussions, such as immigration enforcement or discrimination, as a reason to not contact the police. Among immigrant Latinos who say they would not report a violent crime, 42% say they would fear repercussions if they reported the incident, compared with 18% of the native born. The second most common reason respondents cite for not reporting a violent crime incident is that they don’t expect the police to respond. More than one-quarter (26%) of Latinos who say they would not report being the victim of a violent crime identify this reason. Among immigrants who say they would not report a violent crime, 30% cite a perceived lack of response from the police as the reason versus 22% among the native born. 3 The National Survey of Latinos 2008 question regarding reporting violent crime to the police did not define violent crime. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 4 Criminal Victimization Personal crime victimization rates among Hispanics in 2006 (28.4 per 1,000 individuals) were higher than the rates for whites (23.9 per 1,000) and lower than the rates for blacks (32.9 per 1,000 individuals), according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). While Hispanics were more likely than whites to state on the NCVS that they were a victim of a personal crime in 2006, they were less likely (41.6%) to say they reported the incident to the police than white (48.3%) or black (55.0%) victims. Victimization and police reporting rates for whites and blacks include the Hispanic portions of those populations. Property crime victimization rates among Hispanic households were 211.7 incidents per 1,000 households in 2006, compared with 156.7 per 1,000 white households and 185.6 per 1,000 black households. As was the case with personal crime, the share of Hispanic (33.5%) property crime victims who say they reported incidents to the police was lower than that of white (37.7%) or black (38.8%) victims. Personal crime victimizations include such crimes as rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault. Property crime victimizations include household burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft. In 2006 there were 6.3 million personal crimes and 19 million property crimes in the United States, according to the NCVS. Overall, the national personal crime rate per 1,000 individuals ages 12 or older was 25.4, and the national property crime rate per 1,000 households was 160.5.The NCVS, an annual survey of more than 70,000 U.S. households, is the most comprehensive survey of criminal victimization available. Respondents are asked about all criminal incidents in that calendar year, including those not reported to the police, in which they were a victim. Reporting Property Crime When asked if they would report a burglary or property crime to the police if they were a victim of that crime, more than eight-in-ten (84%) Hispanics say they definitely would. A greater share of Latinos ages 30 and older, compared with Latinos ages 18 to 29, say they would definitely report a burglary or property crime—87% versus 79%. Latinos with at least some college education are more likely than those with less than a high school diploma to say they would report such a crime—93% versus 80%. Among the small share (4%) of Latinos who say they would not report a burglary or property crime, more than half (52%) cite a perceived lack of response from the police as the reason for not reporting the incident. The second most common reason for not reporting a burglary or property crime incident to the police is a fear of repercussions for reporting such a crime. More than two-in-ten (21%) Latinos who would not report being a victim of a burglary or property crime cite that reason. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 5 Hate Crimes According to the FBI, 7,624 bias-motivated crimes were reported in 2007 (FBI, 2007). Among these, 595 were directed against Hispanics, representing 8% of all bias-motivated crimes. In comparison, 2,658 bias-motivated crimes were reported against blacks and 749 against whites. Since 1990, the FBI, through its Uniform Crime Reports data collection, has compiled data on all reported crime incidents that had a bias motivation against a victim’s perceived race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or ethnic/national origin group. Figure7 Number of Reported Bias·Motivated Crimes, by Race and Ethnicity of Victim, 1995-2007 3,500 3,000 2,500 ~ ....... ... Anti-Black 2,000 1,500 Anti-While 1,000 500 Anti-Hispanic 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Note, Religious bias, se><u.1 o'lentotion bias, and other bias c<imes are not shown. Sou.ce: Pew Hispanic C.... te•• n.lysis offal UnifoffTl Crime Reports D.ta. 1995-2007 Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 6 Contact with the Criminal Justice System4 Individuals can interact with the criminal justice system in many ways, and that interaction affects not only them personally but their families as well. Overall, 56% of Latinos say they or someone in their immediate family had interacted with the criminal justice system in at least one of the following ways in the five years preceding the survey: • Reporting a crime to police (27%) • Being questioned by the police for any reason (23%) • Serving on a jury (21%) • Attending court on a criminal matter, excluding minor traffic violations and/or jury duty (19%) • Being arrested (15%) • Being on probation or parole (13%) • Serving time in jail and/or prison (12%) • Being a sworn witness in court (11%) FigureS Interaction with the Criminal Justice System Among Hispanics (96 saying "",y<Jr an immediatl' ramily ml'mbl'r intl'",cred with I"" sySlem in /hl' fivl' Y""rs prKl'ding I"" SUrVl'y) Reported crime Questioned by police Served on jury Attended court on criminal matter Was arrested Was on probation or parole Served time in prison Was a sworn witness in court Sourc~' p~w Hi~nk Center 2008 National SUtv~y of Latinos Reporting Crime to the Police More than one-quarter (27%) of Hispanics say they or a family member reported a crime in the previous five years. Native-born Hispanics are twice as likely as foreign-born Hispanics to say this—38% versus 19%. Hispanics ages 54 and younger are more likely to say they reported a crime than those ages 55 and older—29% versus 19%. Hispanics with at least some college education (40%) are also more likely to say they reported a crime than Hispanics with a high school diploma (30%) or those with less education (17%). 4 The shares of non-citizen Hispanics who interact with the criminal justice system are likely to be low because non-citizen Hispanics who are in the United States without documentation may have been deported after being arrested or having served a prison or probation sentence. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 7 Being Questioned by the Police Nearly one-quarter (23%) of Latinos say they or an immediate family member were questioned by the police in the previous five years. Native-born Latinos are more likely than immigrant Latinos to say this—32% versus 17%. And Latinos under the age of 30 are more likely than older Hispanics to say this—32% versus 19%. Among Latinos with at least some college education, 30% say they or a family member had been questioned by the police in the previous five years, a greater share than those who are only high school graduates (23%) or have less than a high school education (19%). U.S. citizen Hispanics are more likely than non-U.S. citizen Hispanics to say they were questioned by the police—28% versus 15%. Serving on a Jury More than two-in-ten (21%) Hispanics say they or an immediate family member served on a jury in the previous five years. Hispanics over age 55 (30%) are more likely to say they or an immediate family member had served on a jury than are those ages 40 to 54 (22%), ages 30 to 39 (14%) or ages 18 to 29 (19%). And Hispanics with some college education (33%) are more likely to say they or an immediate family member served on a jury than are Hispanics with a high school diploma (18%) or those with less than a high school diploma (14%). Attending Court on a Criminal Matter Nearly two-in-ten (19%) Latinos say they or an immediate family member had attended court on a criminal matter other than a minor traffic violation or jury duty in the previous five years. Latinos between ages 18 and 30 are more likely to say this than Latinos ages 55 and older—23% versus 13%. Being Arrested Among Latinos, 15% say they or someone in their immediate family was arrested in the previous five years. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of Latinos ages 18 to 29 say they or a family member were arrested, compared with 8% of adults ages 55 and older. And native-born Latinos are more likely than immigrant Latinos to say they or a family member was arrested—18% versus 13%. Interacting with the Corrections System According to a recent report from the Pew Center on the States, 1-in-27 (4%) Hispanics in 2007 was under some form of corrections control, such as probation, parole, prison or jail. While 4% of Hispanics are under some kind of corrections control, more than four times (17%) as many say they or someone in their immediate family had been under corrections control in the previous five years. Native-born Latinos are more likely to report this than are immigrant Latinos— 23% versus 13%. More than one-fourth (26%) of Latinos ages 18 to 29 say they Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 8 or an immediate family member had been on probation or parole, or served time in prison or jail. Overall, 13% of Latinos say they or an immediate family member had been on probation or parole. Young Latinos ages 18 to 29 are more likely than Latinos ages 30 or older to say they had been on probation or parole—19% versus 10%. Also, native-born Latinos are twice as likely as foreign-born Latinos to say they had been on probation or parole—18% versus 9%. More than one-in-ten Latinos (12%) say they or someone in their immediate family served time in prison or jail in the previous five years. Native-born Latinos are more than twice as likely as immigrant Latinos to say that—18% versus 8%. And nearly two-in-ten (18%) Latinos ages 18 to 29 say they or someone in their family served time in jail or prison in the previous five years, double the share of Latinos ages 30 or older who say that (9%). Serving as a Sworn Witness in Court Overall, more than one-in-ten (11%) Hispanics say they or an immediate family member served as a sworn witness in court in the previous five years. U.S. citizen Hispanics are more likely to say this than are non-U.S. citizen Hispanics—14% versus 6%. And native-born Hispanics are more likely than immigrant Hispanics to say they served as a sworn witness—16% versus 7%. Neighborhood Safety More than one-third (35%) of Latinos report that there are areas within a mile of their home where they are afraid to walk alone at night. 5 Though overall Latinos are more likely than the general population to report being victims of crime, their perceptions about neighborhood safety jibe with those of the general population, of whom 37% report that they don’t feel safe walking alone at night in their own neighborhood (Gallup, 2008). For Latinos, neighborhood safety perceptions do not differ significantly by gender, age, or education. Safety concerns are also consistent across nativity and citizenship status. 5 These findings reflect actual local crime rates and variations in how people perceive threats to personal safety in their local communities. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 9 References Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2006 Statistical Tables, National Crime Victimization Survey,” NCJ 223436, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, August 2008. Catalano, Shannan M., “Criminal Victimizations, 2005,” NCJ 214644, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, September 2006. FBI, “Hate Crime Statistics, 2007,” U.S. Department of Justice, 2007. Gallup, “Gallup’s Pulse of Democracy: Crime,” October 2008. Pew Center on the States, “One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections,” March 2, 2009. Pew Social & Demographic Trends, “Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class; Optimism about Black Progress Declines,” November 13, 2007. West, Heather C. and William J. Sabol, “Prison Inmates at Midyear 2008—Statistical Tables,” NCJ 225619, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, March 2009. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 10 Appendix A: Survey Methodology Results for this study are based on telephone interviews conducted by ICR/International Communications Research, an independent research company, among a nationally representative sample of 2,015 Latino respondents ages 18 and older, from June 9 through July 13, 2008. Of those respondents, 711 were native born (including Puerto Rico) and 1,302 were foreign born; 892 were registered voters. The margin of error for total respondents is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of error for nativeborn respondents is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level; for foreign-born respondents, plus or minus 3.4 percentage points; and for registered voters, plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. For this survey, ICR maintained a staff of Spanish-speaking interviewers who, when contacting a household, were able to offer respondents the option of completing the survey in Spanish or in English. A total of 710 respondents were surveyed in English and 1,248 respondents were interviewed in Spanish (the remaining 57 were surveyed equally in both languages). Any adult of Latino origin or descent was eligible to complete the survey. Because a growing number of Hispanic households in the U.S. are reachable only by cell phone, the study included interviews from both landline (n=1,254) and cell phone (n=761) sample frames. According to government statistics from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) during the last six months of 2007, 19.3% of Hispanic adults were reachable only by cell phone, a number that was 4 percentage points higher than it had been one year earlier. Adults who are cellonly are very different demographically from those reachable on a landline: They tend to be younger and less likely to be married or have children, or to own a home. Both sample frames were stratified via a disproportionate stratified design. All telephone exchanges in the contiguous 48 states were divided into groups, or strata, based on their concentration of Latino households. For the landline frame, the sample was also run against InfoUSA and other listed databases, and then scrubbed against known Latino surnames. Any “hits” were subdivided into a “surname” stratum, with all other sample being put into other “RDD” strata. Overall, then, the study employed eight strata: Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure Strata (General Incidence of Reaching a Hispanic Household) Landline Cell Phone Surname 594 -- Very High 294 -- High 187 458 Medium 134 190 Low 45 113 11 It is important to note that the existence of a surname stratum does not mean this was a surname sample design. The sample is random digit dial (RDD), with the randomly selected telephone numbers divided by whether they were found to be associated with or without a Latino surname. This was done simply to increase the number of strata and thereby increase the ability to meet ethnic targets and ease administration by allowing for more effective assignment of interviewers and labor hours. A four-stage weighting design was used to ensure an accurate representation of the national Hispanic population. First, an adjustment was made for all people found to possess both a landline and a cell phone, as they were twice as likely to be sampled as were respondents who possessed only one phone type. The sample was then corrected for the disproportionality of the stratification scheme described earlier. Third, the sample was corrected to reflect the percentage that is cell-only, landline-only or reachable by either a landline or a cell phone. NHIS and Pew Research Center data were used to project percentages that the Pew Research Center felt were appropriate for the 2007 population. Finally, the data were put through a post-stratification sample balancing routine. The post-stratification weighting utilized national 2007 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, March Supplement, on gender, education, age, region, foreign/native born status, year of entry into the U.S. and Hispanic heritage. Pew Hispanic Center April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 12 Appendix B: National Survey of Latinos 2008, Topline The study was conductedfor the Pew Hispanic Center via telephone by ICR, an independent research company. Interviews were conductedfrom June 9th through July 13 th, 2008 among a nationally representative sample of2,015 Hispanic respondents ages 18 and older. Ofthose 1,254 were contacted via landline and 761 were contacted on their cell phones. We conducted interviews with 711 native-born Hispanics (Puerto Rico included) and 1,302 foreign-born Hispanics. The margin oferrorfor total Hispanic respondents is +/- 2.84 at the 95% confidence level. The margin oferror for native-born respondents is +/- 4. 86. The margin oferror for foreign-born respondents is +/- 3.43. CRIME RATE AND PERCEPTIONS 50. Is there any area near where you live-that is, within a mile-where you would be afraid to walk alone at night? Total Native born Foreign born TRUST I Yes 35 35 35 Don't know 1 I 1 No 64 64 63 Refused 1 * 1 LAW E FORCEMENT 52. How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community (rNSERT)a great deal, a fair amount, just some, or very little confidence? a. W'1l I do a gOO d'10b 0 f en £orcmg thl e aw Great deal/Fair amount Total Native born Foreign born b NET 61 61 61 A great deal 33 24 39 A fair amount 28 37 22 Pew Hispanic Center NET 36 38 35 Just some 22 21 22 Very little 14 16 13 Not applicable * * -- Don't know 2 Refused 1 * * 3 1 W'1l J not use excessIve orce on suspects Great deal/Fair amount Total Native born Forei.Q;n born Just some/Vea: little NET 46 50 42 A great deal 24 22 25 A fair amount 22 28 18 Just some/Ve.., little NET 47 44 50 Just some 24 20 27 Very little 23 24 22 Not applicable 1 I * Don't know 5 4 7 Refused 1 I I April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure , Will treat (H1SPANICS/LATINOS) fairly Great deal/Fair amount NET TOlal 45 Native born Forci!!n born d A great deal A fair NET 24 50 46 54 51 20 18 32 40 22 19 , Oal!OO110 0 A great Forcil!11 born 53, NET deal 57 56 57 32 29 34 Not aoolicable Just ",me Ye.." little 27 21 23 • 24 23 • 31 I Don't know 4 2 5 49 60 42 A fair amount 25 27 23 Just some/Ver little Just ",me Ye.." little Not aoolicable Don't NET 38 39 38 20 17 23 18 I I 3 3 4 22 • 15 know A great deal amount A fair NET Just ",me Ye.." little 25 25 34 26 20 30 19 26 24 44 38 49 18 Not applicable Don't • 5 2 7 • • 18 19 know If you were the victim of (INSERT), would you call the police ... ? Do you think you dcfinitely would, probably would, probably would NOT or dcfinitely would NOT? a A violent crime WOUL.D b Total Nativc born Forcil!n born Pew Hispanic Center Refused I • I little Just someiVe 54. Total Nativc born Forcign born Refused I I I How much confidence do you have that courts in your community wililreat (HISPANICSILATINOS) fairly-a great deal, a fair amount, just some, or vcry little confidence'! NET Native born Foreign hom little ca 1m!: WI th1 ganQS Great deal/Fair amount TOlal Just someiVe amount Grut deal/fair amount Total Native born 13 WOULD NOT NET DefinitelY ProbablY NET ProbablY 94 78 92 77 79 5 7 4 4 5 94 15 16 15 A bUfl!lary or DroDel1y cnme WOULD 3 DefinitelY I I I Don't know I Rerused I I Don't know Rerused • I I WOULD NOT NET Definitelv Probablv NET Probably 95 94 95 84 II R5 9 12 4 5 3 3 4 Definitelv I I I 2 83 Refused I I I • • • I I I April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 55. 14 Why do you say that? a. A violent crime (Asked of Total Latinos who would not call the police to report it if they were a victim of a violent crime; Total n = 112; ative born n = 51; Foreign born n = 61) Native Total born LACK OF RESPONSE/HELP (NET) 26 22 They ignore our concerns/don't do anything about it/don't help 15 14 ..., .) We won't get our property back anyl;vay/our items won't be recovered 4 I Police take too long to come I Police don't come at all I 1 Other lack of responsefhelp mentions 3 6 18 REPERCUSSIONS (NET) 29 Concerned about immigration enforcement (will ask for papers, possible 9 2 deportation) They will blame us/act like we did something wrong/like we are the criminals 8 5 Because of discrim inationlracism/preiudice 8 6 Afraid of being locked up/put in jail 6 8 Scared of the police/don't want to be in trouble with the police I -Will cause me more problems (unspecified) 2 -Have tOgO through a lot of hassle/they ask too many questions (general) 2 3 Other repercussions mentions I I Do not have confidence in the police/do not trust them 2 2 Past experiencefbad past experience(s) 4 6 5 8 Take care of it/handle it myself Depends on the situation 4 4 Other 11 15 No reason 14 15 Don't know 14 16 Refused I I Pew Hispanic Center Foreign born 30 17 5 I I 8 42 17 12 10 4 2 4 2 I 2 I I 4 6 13 13 2 April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure 15 b. A burglary or property crime (Asked of Total Latinos who would not call the police to report it if they were a victim of a burglary/property crime; Total n = 84; Native born n = 29; Foreij!;n born n = 55) Native Total born LACK OF RESPONSEIHELP (NEn 52 59 TIley ignore our concerns/don't do anything about it/don't help 36 33 We won't get our property back anyway/our items won't be recovered 3 5 Police take too long to come 5 10 Police don't come at all 5 9 Other lack of response/help mentions 3 4 REPERCUSSIONS (NET) 21 16 5 3 Concerned about immigration enforcement (will ask for papers, possible deportation) They will blame us/act like we did something wrong/like we are the criminals 2 3 Because of discrimination/racism/prei udice 6 2 1 3 Afraid of being locked up/put in jail -Scared of the police/don't want to be in trouble with the police 5 Will cause me more problems (unspecified) 1 -Have to go through a lot of hassle/they ask too many questions (general) 1 -Other repercussions mentions 4 9 Do not have confidence in the police/do not trust them 4 4 Past experience/bad past experience(s) 3 6 Take care of it/handle it myself 3 2 Depends on the situation 2 -Other 9 4 No reason 8 9 Don't know 9 6 --Refused Foreign born 44 38 1 1 1 3 25 7 -10 -9 2 3 -- 3 -5 4 13 7 12 -- CONTACT WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 56. We are interested in how much contact people have, ith the police, the courts and the criminal justice system. In the last five years, have you or anyone in your immediate family (INSERT)? a. Reporte d acnme Total Native born Foreign born b. Yes 27 38 19 No 72 61 79 Don't know 1 I I Refused I I I Yes 21 32 12 No Don't know I 2 Refused I I 1 Served on a jury Total Native born Foreign born Pew Hispanic Center 78 66 86 * April 7, 2009 Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure c. Bccn a sworn witncss in court Yes Total II Native born 16 Foreillil born 7 No 88 83 91 Don't know I I I 16 Refused I I I d. A ttcn dd c court on a cnmlllaI mattcr. exc Iud·mg mlllor tra ffiIC via atlons an dlor ]urv dut)' Yes No Don't know Refused Total 19 80 I I Nativc born 28 71 I I Forcillil born 12 86 I I c. Been auestioned by the ooliee for any reason Yes No Total 23 76 Native born 32 67 Forci.gn born 17 81 f. • I I I Don't know Refused 85 • I I I Yes No Don't know 86 81 89 • • • Refused 13 18 9 Yes No Don't know 12 18 8 86 81 90 • • Yes No 15 18 13 84 81 • • Becn on pro batiOn or para e Total Native born Forei'll born h. Refused Been arrested TotaJ Native born Forcil:!ll born g. Don't know served tune III Total Native born Foreilm born Pew Hispanic Center a1·1 I I I an dlor nnson • • • Refused I I I April 7, 2009