DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06793
title: Immigrant Populations as Victims in New York City and Philadelphia, 1994
title: Archival Version

description: The purpose of this study was to examine interrelated
 issues surrounding the use of the criminal justice system by immigrant
 victims and to identify ways to improve the criminal justice response
 to immigrants' needs and problems. Two cities, New York City and
 Philadelphia, were selected for intensive investigation of
 victimization of immigrants. In each of these cities, three immigrant
 communities in a neighborhood were chosen for participation. In New
 York's Jackson Heights area, Colombians, Dominicans, and Indians were
 the ethnic groups studied. In Philadelphia's Logan section,
 Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Koreans were surveyed. In all, 87 Jackson
 Heights victims were interviewed and 26 Philadelphia victims were
 interviewed. The victim survey questions addressed can be broadly
 divided into two categories: issues pertaining to crime reporting and
 involvement with the court system by immigrant victims. 
 Variables include type of crime, respondent's role in the
 incident, relationship to the perpetrator, whether the incident was
 reported to police, and who reported the incident. Respondents were
 also asked whether they were asked to go to court, whether they
 understood what the people in court said to them, whether they
 understood what was happening in their case, and, if victimized again,
whether they would report the incident to the police.
description: The purpose of this study was to examine
 interrelated issues surrounding the use of the criminal justice system
 by immigrant victims and to identify ways to improve the criminal
 justice response to immigrants' needs and problems. Questions
 addressed by this study can be broadly divided into two categories:
 issues pertaining to reporting crimes and involvement with the court
 system by immigrant victims. Some crime reporting questions are: To
 what extent do immigrant populations underreport crimes to the police?
 Is underreporting more characteristic of some immigrant groups than
 others? What are the principal reasons for underreporting? Which types
 of crimes are most and least likely to be reported to authorities?
 What is the experience with the police of immigrants who do report
 crimes? What kinds of institutional barriers exist to reporting crimes
 to the police, and what could be done to remove the barriers?
 Questions concerning court system involvement include: Are immigrant
 victims who do report crimes willing to cooperate with court officials
 in prosecuting? If they are reluctant, what are their reservations?
 What institutional barriers exist to cooperating with court officials
in prosecuting and adjudicating cases?
description: This study takes an exploratory look at a set of
 interrelated issues surrounding use of the criminal justice system by
 immigrant victims. A variety of convergent methods were used to
 address the issues examined. Respondents to a national survey of
 police chiefs, prosecutor agencies, and court administrators from the
 50 largest United States cities were asked their opinions about the
 extent to which victims who were recent immigrants have equal access
 to the criminal justice system and about impediments to fuller
 participation. Upon completion of the national survey, New York City
 and Philadelphia were selected for intensive investigation.
 Neighborhoods with a strong multi-ethnic character were examined. In
 New York's Jackson Heights area, Colombians, Dominicans, and Indians
 were studied. In Philadelphia's Logan section, Vietnamese, Cambodians,
 and Koreans were surveyed. Interviews in Jackson Heights were
 conducted over the telephone by multilingual Victim Services staff. In
 all, 87 Jackson Heights victims were interviewed. Of the 26
 Philadelphia victims interviewed, 12 were interviewed in person in
 their homes, and 14 were interviewed by telephone. The interviews in
 Philadelphia were conducted by local Asian ethnic contractors. Those
 individuals who reported crimes to the police were asked about their
 experiences with the police and/or the court. For persons who failed
 to report a crime, reasons for their reluctance in reporting were
elicited.
description: Variables include type of crime,
 respondent's role in the incident, relationship to the perpetrator,
 whether the incident was reported to police, and who reported the
 incident. Respondents were also asked whether they were asked to go to
 court, whether they understood what the people in court said to them,
 whether they understood what was happening in their case, and, if
 victimized again, whether they would report the incident to the
police.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: This study began with a national survey of police chiefs,
 prosecutors agencies, and court administrators from the 50 largest
 United States cities. Two cities, New York City and Philadelphia, were
 selected for additional intensive investigation. In each of these two
 cities, convenience samples were obtained from one neighborhood and
 three immigrant communities chosen for participation. In New York's
 Jackson Heights area, Colombians, Dominicans, and Indians were
 studied. In Philadelphia's Logan section, Vietnamese, Cambodians, and
Koreans were surveyed.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Immigrant Populations as Victims in New York City and Philadelphia, 1994
description: All immigrants in the United States from 1980 to 1990.
description: (1) The codebook and data collection instrument are
 provided as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format
 was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using
 PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on
 how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided in the README
 file on the diskette version of this study and through the ICPSR
 Website on the Internet. (2) Data from the national survey of police
 chiefs, prosecutors agencies, and court administrators are not
available as part of this data collection.