^aJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, NY

Abstract

In the United States, the rate of incarceration increases on an annual basis. Communities of color – Latinas/os, African Americans and Native Americans, in particular – are the most affected by this alarming expansion of the US prison population. In recent years, Latinas/os have been identified as the fastest rate of imprisonment of all groups in the country. Like African Americans, Latinas/os emerge as trapped by the mass imprisonment phenomenon in the United States. This article examines the trends in incarceration for the US-Latina/o population, as distinguished from recent immigrants from Latin America, and it looks at some of the factors that contribute to the growth of the Latina/o population in state and federal prisons. The racialization of crime; the manner in which criminal justice policy is formulated and justified around the fear of crime; how the courts and the criminal justice system operate; and the role of the media in promoting negative images of Latinas/os are among the areas explored in discerning contributing factors. As with African Americans, common misconceptions linking Latinas/os with criminal behavior must be challenged. In contrast to African Americans, however, Latinas/os are subject to stereotypes that transcend racial myths, with one such stereotype being the false link between immigrants and crime. The fear of crime as a driving force in criminal justice policymaking and persistent negative media images of Latinas/os and immigrants that associate them with crime pose formidable obstacles to the implementation of long-overdue, meaningful, and sensible changes in the prison and criminal justice systems. Ultimately, comprehensive efforts to engage many sectors of society will be necessary to stem the trend toward increased Latina/o incarceration in the United States.