Pew: Latinos comprise 33% of federal prison inmates

Solomon Moore of the New York Times offers "Study Shows Sharp Rise in Latino Federal Convicts" (link):

Latino convicts now represent the largest ethnic population in the federal prison system, accounting for 40 percent of all those convicted of federal crimes, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank.

In 2007, Latinos, who make up 13 percent of the United States population, accounted for one third of all federal prison inmates, a result the study attributed to the sharp rise in illegal immigration and the increased enforcement of immigration laws.

Nearly half of all Latino offenders, or about 48 percent, were convicted of immigration crimes, while drug offenses were the second-most prevalent charge, according to the report...

You can download the full report at pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=104

They include the note that federal prisoners only represent about 6% of those sentenced for a felony. And, the offenses of the Hispanic prisoners was mostly a function of their immigration status:

Among sentenced non-citizen Latino immigration offenders, more than eight-in-ten (81%) were convicted of entering unlawfully or residing in the U.S. without authorization. In contrast, more than nine-in-ten (91%) U.S. citizen Latino immigration offenders were convicted of smuggling, transporting or harboring an unlawful alien.

Wed, 02/18/2009 - 14:52 · Importance: 4