Examining Avoidance, Victimization Risk, and Perceptions of Community Safety in Latinx Communities

Abstract

Latinx adults are increasingly avoiding formal authorities, local services, and community engagement out of fear of victimization and deportation. Increased distrust and fear of authorities threaten to erode individual and community feelings of safety. While crime prevention scholarship identifies community efficacy, local engagement, and bonds to formal institutions as critical components to creating safety within local communities, there is little research to date on how avoidance in response to victimization impacts these processes. This study utilized data from 53 qualitative interviews of Latinx adults to understand the ways that bias victimization and discrimination alter feelings of community safety. Participants expressed distrust of formal institutions and decreased community engagement. They also leveraged informal networks like friends and family, emphasizing the nuanced impact of avoidance on community organization.

Measuring Perception of Criminality towards Women: A Descriptive Analysis

“…Hester, N., & Hehman, E. (2023) examined the impact of media representations on public attitudes towards female criminal behavior, highlighting the sensationalism and distortion often present in such portrayals. Yohros, A., et al, (2023) investigated the intersectionality of various factors influencing judgments of guilt and innocence in cases involving women, emphasizing the complex interplay between gender, race, and socio-economic status. Collectively, these studies underscore the need for a more nuanced understanding of the factors shaping perceptions of female criminality to address systemic biases and ensure fair treatment within the justice system.…”

Staying under the Radar? Immigration Effects on Overdose Deaths and the Impact of Sanctuary Jurisdictions

“…Related to this perspective, there is a growing line of research showing a reluctance among immigrant communities to cooperate with criminal justice agencies [8,47]. For example, studies show that immigrant populations may be hesitant to report crimes and victimizations, serve as witnesses for police investigations, and cooperate with court proceedings [8,[48][49][50][51]. Research suggests that fear of deportation and disruption to their lives (either for themselves or family and friends) may be driving much of this criminal justice avoidance [8,[47][48][49][50][51].…”

“…For example, studies show that immigrant populations may be hesitant to report crimes and victimizations, serve as witnesses for police investigations, and cooperate with court proceedings [8,[48][49][50][51]. Research suggests that fear of deportation and disruption to their lives (either for themselves or family and friends) may be driving much of this criminal justice avoidance [8,[47][48][49][50][51]. However, these studies have focused largely on criminal justice agencies (see [51] for exception) and have given less attention to other record-keeping institutions that could impact crime, drug use, and overdose.…”

“…Research suggests that fear of deportation and disruption to their lives (either for themselves or family and friends) may be driving much of this criminal justice avoidance [8,[47][48][49][50][51]. However, these studies have focused largely on criminal justice agencies (see [51] for exception) and have given less attention to other record-keeping institutions that could impact crime, drug use, and overdose.…”