Latinas and The Criminal Justice System

Prescription:

"Latinas are assumed to be welfare queens who raise young gang members." (Portillo, pg. 6)

"Comtemporary images of latinas emphasize their sexuality and drug use..... for many latinas juvenile officials see themselves as the ultimate saviors for them...." (Portillo, pg. 6)

• -Police and juvenile officials believe that if latina women are left alone in the streets they'll soon become pregnant
  
• -Latinos in general are portrayed as gang members, criminals, violent and drug abusers, undocumented immigrants etc...
  

Truth is many latinas are assumed to be screw ups if they live in a low economic neighborhood or if their parent aren't constantly keeping track of them. They are constantly being dehumanized and opressed. Thecriminal justice systems believes them to be welfare queens, who keep giving birth to kids to receive a bigger check in the mail. Many of the women that are arrested are for crimes that are explanatory and sometimes their not even at fault for it.

Many police officers question why there so much distrust between them and people from the barrio. Reasons are because many of the ones that patrol their neighborhoods are white and usually don't arrive on time during emergencies. Many residents have reasons to distrust them. For example, police beatings and racist overthrows are what is always going on in these neighborhoods.

Currently there's a 25 year old latina woman in jail. Her name is Lupe and she is serving a 10 year sentence for marijuana possesion with the intent to sell. She has a child who she used to live with accompanied by her boyfriend before she was arrested. Her boyfriend has a job to support Lupe and their child, but had to sell drugs because his job money wasn't enough. One day narcotic officers found drugs in her apartment. She was sent to prison and was convicted guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Her child is now in foster care. Point is, she is serving time for something she did not do or belong to her. (Portillo, pg. 6)

-This causes fear of freedom because people feel they are discriminated by police officers and don't feel the need to listen to them. They also prefer to handle problems their way by having to be violent. From their point of view, that's the way problems are solved and they react faster than a white police officer would in their neighborhood.