Immigration tops media coverage of Latino concerns for good reason, but California’s search for alternatives to mass incarceration puts Latinos at the center of a decision-making process that cannot be postponed. Latinos have paid disproportionate costs for the dysfunction. They’ll have to play a disproportionate role in any fix.

The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California conducted a two-year study of existing research on Latinos in every phase of the justice system, reviewing crime data, dozens of academic studies, public opinion surveys and government reports. Key findings are summarized in a new report being released Tuesday by the nonprofit Californians for Safety and Justice, painting a troubling picture of compounded injuries for Latino individuals, families and communities.

Compared with whites, Latinos are more likely to be murdered, killed by strangers and shot. They get burglarized more often and are more likely to experience multiple crimes.

Research also reveals a pattern of cumulative disadvantage in the justice system, in which Latinos face unequal treatment at every stage, from unjustified police stops to harsher sentencing.  –Jose–

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