ETHNICITY & REPORTING

An example of immigrants groups that may be reluctant to report victimization is Asian and Hispanic immigrants. They fear being detained and deported and this attitude affects them negatively since they become more vulnerable to all sorts of abuse such as sexual assault, domestic violence and more. The reason that may cause the reluctance is that the immigrants are alienated due to race differences, they are bullied, and they form conflict with natives (Davis, Lurigio & Herman, 2012).  It is important to understand that the situational and demographic characteristics of the immigrants make them vulnerable to victimization. Immigrants and natives develop both primary and secondary conflict, and the former occurs when immigrants and natives share a physical border and when the different races present diverse values and norms. The latter conflict arises when a subgroup of the dominant groups presents different norms and values. The dominant groups believed that the immigrants migrated to America due to a lack of resources and as they settled in the cities, the level of crime and delinquency increased. Due to the conflict that exists between immigrants and natives, immigrants are less likely to report victimization. The language barrier also creates misunderstanding; immigrants believe that the criminal justice system is indifferent, they have a distrust of the authority, they fear retaliation, feel powerlessness, fear being labeled as illegal residents and they believe that the justice system does not value their needs (Bucerius & Tonry, 2014).  The majority of the immigrants have experienced ineffective and dishonest police in their country, and this is a factor that may hinder them from reporting.  For example, immigrants who live in neighborhoods with high crime and antisocial behavior lack of social cohesion and develops a sense of helplessness in reporting the crime (Davis, Lurigio & Herman, 2012).

             The law enforcement should improve immigrant assimilation into U.S culture through showing effort in different areas such as language proficiency. Since language is a barrier in reporting the victimization, the law enforcement agencies should develop English facility and training to help the immigrants become active participants in the U.S. Another area that the agencies should put effort is on assimilation (Bucerius & Tonry, 2014).  It is essential to help the immigrants assimilate into the U.S culture and more importantly adjust to the cultural heterogeneity through attending community seminars, cultural activities and more. The governmental and community organization should ensure that immigrants can access to services and equal treatment for them to develop a sense of belonging. The law enforcement agencies should also ensure easy access to assistance by providing immigrants with phone translation services, shape the attitudes of the immigrants and help them understand how the justice system operates and lastly, provide long-term funding to assist the immigrants in accessing the services (Bucerius & Tonry, 2014).

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

In Davis, R. J., In Lurigio, A. J., & In Herman, S. (2012). Victims of Crime. Thousand Oaks : SAGE

Publications

 

In Bucerius, S. M., & In Tonry, M. H. (2014). The Oxford handbook of ethnicity, crime, and immigration.