Ramiro Martinez

Immigration reduces crime: an emerging scholarly consensus

Purpose – Previously we (Martinez & Lee, 2000) reviewed the empirical literature of the 20th century on the topic of immigration and crime. This chapter discusses developments in this body of scholarship that have occurred in subsequent years. Methodology – This literature review covers recent empirical research associated with the emerging “immigration revitalization perspective.” Findings – Recent research has become substantially more sophisticated in terms of analytical methods, including multivariate modeling and statistically grounded mapping techniques. But the conclusion remains largely the same. Contrary to the predictions of classic criminological theories and popular stereotypes, immigration generally does not increase crime and often suppresses it. Practical implications – Our review of the literature challenges stereotypical views about immigrants and immigration as major causes of crime in the United States. Unfortunately, these erroneous views continue to inform public policies and should be reconsidered in light of empirical data. Value – This chapter represents the first attempt to synthesize recent empirical work associated with the immigration revitalization perspective. It will be of value to immigration scholars and criminologists as well as general readers interested in the relationship between immigration and crime.

Immigration and the Ethnic Distribution of Homicide in Miami, 1985-1995

This article extends the city-level research tradition initiated by Marvin E. Wolfgang in a unique comparison of immigrant (Haitian, Latino) and native born (Anglo, African American) criminal homicide in the city of Miami, Florida. Although previous research has been limited primarily to Anglo and African American victims and offenders, direct access to Miami police records on 1,450 homicides for the period 1985 through 1995 allowed the authors to compare the homicide risk of Anglos, African Americans, Haitians, and Latinos. Although current policy debates focus on immigration as a contributing factor to rising crime rates, the results indicate that the groups with higher proportions of foreign-born members have comparatively low homicide rates. The findings underscore the need to extend homicide research to include diverse ethnic groups in designs that attempt to disentangle the relative influence of social conditions, ethnicity, and immigration on patterns of criminal homicide.

Predictors of Serious Violent Recidivism Results From a Cohort Study

Despite the growth in research on violent offenders, little is known about the existence of a career in violent crime. To fill the gap in the knowledge of violent offenders, the authors conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of all individuals arrested in Franklin County, OH, in 1973 for an FBI index violent crime. Those continuing in post-1973 criminal activities (as measured by an arrest) were not high-rate violent offenders; on the other hand, they maintained a higher than average amount of index violent and other violent criminal activity. They were arrested for a large number of serious crimes and committed a large number of the cohorts violent offenses. Contrary to expectations, many of these subjects seriously persisted in violent activities.

Homicide among the 1980 Mariel Refugees in Miami: Victims and Offenders

The current study analyzes violence by and against the Mariel immigrants. Using homicide as a proxy for violence, the following analysis compares and contrasts the experiences of the Mariel Cubans to pre-1980 Cubans already in the United States. Overall, the results in this study demonstrate that the Mariels were rarely the high-rate killers portrayed by the media. Indeed, relative to their group size, the Mariels were victimized at a proportion greater than their population size. This simple but unnoticed figure suggests that the Mariels were in far greater danger in Miami than Cubans who had been residing in the area for a longer period of time.

Homicide Among Miami's Ethnic Groups Anglos, Blacks, and Latinos in the 1990s

Previous homicide research has largely ignored the Latino population despite the large numbers of Latinos in most urban areas of the United States. This article examines the relationship between Latino victims and offenders, along with Anglos and Blacks, and other homicide event characteristics in Miami, Florida. Results show that incorporating a Latino category extends our understanding of urban homicides by acknowledging that killings among three ethnic groups vary by victim or offender ethnicity, in addition to circumstances such as type of weapon used in homicides. In sum, despite a constant flow of Latino immigrants and declining homicide rates throughout the 1980s, contemporary Miami is characterized by a high rate of Black homicides and, in particular, a high level of Black-on-Black killings.

Private Corporate Justice: Store Police, Shoplifters, and Civil Recovery

Among the ways corporations use their enormous wealth is to support private justice systems complete with investigative, adjudicatory, and sentencing powers. The present paper advances a sociological analysis of a private corporate justice system and the private police who run it. Our research setting is a full line store of one of the nations largest corporations. Our focus is private justice for shoplifters in a civil recovery state. Analysis reveals that retail value of the item taken, neighborhood social class, and physical resistance are among the factors determining private corporate justice for shoplifters in a civil recovery state. The findings suggest the part played by private justice systems in shaping public images of crime and criminals.

Intersections of race, ethnicity, and the law

This special issue focuses on social science research on race, ethnicity, and the law. Articles in the special issue consider the influence of race and ethnicity on substantive law, legal processes, and crime and deviance, and illustrate the tensions and contradictions that pervade the laws treatment of racial and ethnic minorities. The editiors conclude that taking race and ethnicity into account may force scholars to reconceptualize theories about laws impact and that a greater number of racial and ethnic minority scholars would enrich the field of sociolegal studies.