Gringo justice facts for kids
Gringo justice is a sociohistorical critical theory developed by Chicano sociologist, lawyer, and activist Alfredo Mirandé in 1987, who used it to provide an alternative explanation for Chicano criminality in the United States and challenge the racist assumption that Chicanos were inherently criminal, or biologically, psychologically, or culturally predisposed to engage in criminal behavior. The theory is applied by Chicano and Latino scholars to explain the double standard of justice in the criminal justice system between Anglo-Americans and Chicanos/Latinos. The theory also challenges stereotypes of Chicanos/Latinos as "bandidos" and "gang-bangers", which have historically developed and are maintained to justify social control over Chicano/Latino people in the US.
Scholars cite how Latinos are far more likely than Anglo-Americans to be incarcerated, rather than granted probation, when convicted of a felony offense (even when appropriate legal variables are considered), that Latinos are handed down significantly longer prison sentences and that Latinos are racially profiled at disproportionate rates, as evidence of contemporary gringo justice. Latinos are also overrepresented in the prison population and as victims of police shootings with deadly force. However, scholars note that the topic remains relatively unexplored and neglected, partially attributing this to a lack of interest but also to difficulties in conducting research on Latinos in the criminal justice system because of the way they are racially classified in the US.
Gringo justice is applied against Chicanos and Latinos by the Anglo-American criminal justice system in order to maintain their social, economic, and political domination in modern capitalist society, so that they can remain, as Mirandé states, "a vital source of cheap and dependent labor for the developing capitalistic system." Scholars also note that maintaining gringo justice works to reduce "any threat to conceptions of ethnic superiority that may be held by some whites."
Stereotypes
A central aspect of the theory of gringo justice is challenging stereotypes of Chicanos and Latinos as inherently criminal, which have been and continue to be perpetuated in Anglo-American society. Scholars acknowledge that an understanding of gringo justice provides an alternative explanation to the criminal stereotypes of Chicanos and Latinos. Some of the stereotypes have been acknowledged as follows:
- Early research conducted on Mexicans generally portrayed them as "innately criminal and prone to thievery and lawlessness," an image which is often associated with non-white racial groups. It has been noted that "the mere presence of Latino immigrants instills fear among longtime residents," even those who claim to be aware of stereotypical portrayals.
- A Texas judge while in court reportedly told a 'joke' which revealed how they perceived Mexicans. The 'joke' stated: "How do you make a Mexican omelet? Well, first you steal three eggs."
- Scholar Steven W. Bender notes that the stereotype of Latino thievery is "by force rather than by stealth" since Latinos are seen as "predisposed toward violent, vicious behavior, so that their crimes may be cold-blooded." Latino youth are also "assumed to be gang members who will eventually graduate from wielding spray-paint canisters to carrying knives and guns."
