Hispanics new majority sentenced to federal prison

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than half of all people sent to federal prison for committing felony crimes so far this year were Hispanic, a major demographic shift swollen by immigration offenses, according to a new government report released Tuesday.

Hispanics already outnumber all other ethnic groups sentenced to serve time in prison for federal felonies.

Hispanics reached a new milestone for the first time this year, making up the majority all federal felony offenders sentenced in the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Hispanics comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in that time period, blacks 19.7 percent and whites 26.4 percent.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Hispanics-new-majority-sentenced-to-federal-prison-2158005.php

[pinboy3niner]

1. K&R for visibility

[emilyg]

2. I've seen the change in my county. I get

a daily email report from sheriff's office.

[Yo_Mama]

3. It seems like a huge percentage

In fact, I looked at the OP and said to myself "There's got to be something wrong with these numbers". But then I went and read the article, and this appeared:

The commission's statistics also reveal that sentences for felony immigration crimes — which include illegal crossing and other crimes such as alien smuggling — were responsible for most of the increase in the number of Hispanics sent to prison over the last decade.

So then I searched for "illegal crossing felony", and found this article:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0330/At-the-Mexico-border-a-harder-line-on-illegal-immigrants

So most of it is from immigration offenses. I'm not sure what to think. Apparently if they keep nabbing you crossing the border now they put you in a jail for a while on a felony charge.

[emilyg]

6. Thanks for link.

[rollin74]

7. oops. posted twice

[rollin74]

8. true. illegal re-entry is now the most common federally

prosecuted crime

illegal re-entry prosecutions have increased a lot recently

if caught trying to enter the United States illegally multiple times it is a federal felony. average prison sentence is about 14 months

http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/251/

[alp227]

10. see the law "improper entry by alien"

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/8/usc_sec_08_00001325----000-.html

§ 1325

"Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers...shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both."

Title 18, § 3571 classifies fines for each type of crime. First-time illegal crossing offense in this case has a sentence up to 6 mos., so according to title 18 section 3581 it's a class B misdemeanor (up to $10,000 fines). However, repeat offenses, punishable up to 2 years in prison, would be a class E felony (up to $250,000).

[EFerrari]

4. Thank you , prison industry.

[pinboy3niner]

5. PERFECT for Jimmy Fallon's recurring 'thankyou note' bit

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

9. Making sense of why more Latinos are going to federal prison

A government report released yesterday revealed that for the first time, the majority of people being sentenced to federal prison for felony offenses are Latino.

According to the report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Latinos made up more than half of those sent to federal prison in the first nine months of federal fiscal year 2011, which began last Oct. 1. And behind the upswing is a rise in felony prosecutions related to immigration.

Immigration-related crimes for which people are prosecuted can range from a serious offense like human smuggling to something as simple as being caught re-entering the country after a deportation.

What is feeding this pipeline? One major driver of immigration-related federal prosecutions has been a post-9/11 border security program known as Operation Streamline. Implemented in 2005, it mandates federal criminal charges for people caught crossing illegally in several border jurisdictions in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

http://multiamerican.scpr.org/2011/09/making-sense-of-why-more-latinos-are-going-to-federal-prison/