NCJ Number
133720
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 53 Issue: 7 Dated: (December 1991) Pages: 118,120-121
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Due to the large influx of Central American immigrants to Gainsville, Georgia, many of whom go there seeking jobs in the poultry-processing industry, there has also been an increase in the number of Hispanics involved in the criminal justice system. Gainsville parole officers are among the local social service and law enforcement workers learning to work within this expanded cultural context.
Abstract
Although their in-born work ethic and the caution with which undocumented workers move keep most of the newly arrived Hispanics out of legal trouble, the desire for money sometimes lures others to the quick profits of drug dealing. While all Hispanics certainly cannot be included in a monolithic category, there are some general facts of which parole officers should be aware. These include the prevalent Hispanic respect for religion, the centrality of family in Hispanic life, the role of machismo in defining relationships between men and women, and the need to communicate clearly and directly with Hispanic parole clients.