Latino convicts now represent the largest ethnic population in the federal prison system, accounting for 40 percent of those convicted of federal crimes, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.
Latinos made up only 13 percent of the U.S. adult population in 2007, but they accounted for one-third of federal prison inmates that year, a result the study attributed to the sharp rise in illegal immigration and tougher enforcement of immigration laws.
About 48 percent of Latino offenders were convicted of immigration crimes, while drug offenses were the second- most-prevalent charge, according to the report.
“The immigration system has essentially become criminalized at a huge cost to the criminal justice system, to courts, to judges, to prisons and prosecutors,” said Lucas Guttentag, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer.
