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Latin American women play a key role in the international cocaine business as couriers or mules. Beginning from theoretical perspectives that explain the relationship between criminality and gender, we analyze why women without a criminal background become criminals, how they become involved in trafficking, their positions and functions in the criminal organization, and the risks and benefits of their participation. Qualitative fieldwork was carried out based on in-depth interviews with fifty-one female inmates and twenty members of prison staff from nine Spanish prisons. A thematic analysis has been carried out based on this data. The results reveal that the prevalent profile among Latin women traffickers is that of heads of household. There is a relationship between their social and geographical contexts of origin and cocaine trafficking, which determines their criminal behavior. They occupy the most exposed and lowest-paid positions in the criminal structure. We found through their discourses, how they are recruited, how they transport cocaine and the money they obtain. We conclude that cocaine trafficking is a resource that women use to escape situations of exclusion and that allows them to avoid other options, such as prostitution and migration. Despite the risks of trafficking, the economic benefits they obtain from it leads them to commit the crime. Keywords: Latin American women inmates, Mules, Criminal behavior, Drug trafficking, Introduction and Background Women's criminology is an underdeveloped field compared to male criminology (Campbell 2008). Starting in the 1970s and taking place mainly in the 1980s, new approaches on female [...]

Abstract This analysis studies the power of Standard English in the process of formation of devalued immigrant identities in contemporary English Canada. Probing the connections between Standard English, colonialism, whiteness [...]

INTRODUCTION By the time this commentary is in print, 2010 census figures will have been released; and the trend of immigrant, especially Latino, settlement in southern U.S. cities and towns [...]

This paper examines the relationship between the discourses of neoliberalism and understandings of Latino migration in the rural U.S. South. As a set of economic policies, neoliberalism has provided the [...]

The migration of Latino immigrants to the rural South is now well documented. The creation of cultural spaces for immigrants and their families on soccer fields is flourishing throughout the [...]

Poverty is frequently conceptualized as an attribute of either people or places. Yet residential movement of poor people can redistribute poverty across places, affecting and reshaping the spatial concentration of economic disadvantage. In this article, we utilize 1995 to 2000 county-to-county migration data from the 2000 United States decennial census to explore how differential migration rates of the poor and nonpoor affect local incidence of poverty, and how migration reconfigures poverty rates across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties. We further examine the impact of differential migration rates on African American and Latino poverty rates, two groups that have experienced higher than average poverty rates and have a sizable presence in rural areas. Our analysis indicates that during the 1990s the poor moved at rates equal to or greater than the nonpoor, and that, especially in micropolitan counties, this movement tended to deepen existing poverty concentrations. Both African and Latino migration patterns tended to reinforce existing poverty concentrations, a result similar to that of the population as a whole, although the migration patterns of both groups more severely exacerbated poverty in high-poverty noncore counties.

An investigation of Latino and non-Latino college students sought to examine the ways in which perceived intergenerational conflicts with parents are related to acculturation, family dynamics, and psychosocial functioning. Participants reported the extent to which they experienced two types of intergenerational conflicts with parents: values/expectations conflicts and acculturation conflicts such as their parents' perception that they are 'too American'. First- and second-generation Latinos reported experiencing more acculturation conflicts than third-generation Latinos and European Americans or African Americans. Regression analyses within the Latino sample indicated that both types of conflicts with parents were predicted by acculturation variables, lower family cohesion, and increased family control. Both types of conflicts were significant predictors of depression and lower self-esteem, even after controlling for generation status and family variables.

Drawing on original qualitative research, this article investigates how natives and institutions in rural America's 'new immigrant destinations' are adapting, if at all, to Hispanic newcomers and whether corresponding interaction should be viewed as substantively responsive. In contrast to predictions made by traditional political incorporation theories, results based on semi-structured interviews and ethnographic fieldwork suggest that Hispanic newcomers are undergoing a process of bureaucratic incorporation whereby public service bureaucrats, rather than elected politicians, are initiating substantive responsiveness. Yet I also identify a continuing interaction between immigrant bureaucratic and political incorporation in rural America. I conclude by connecting my findings to more general sociological perspectives regarding population needs, electoral bodies, and public bureaucracies in democratic societies.

Research has consistently shown that African American youth report less favorable evaluations of the police than their white counterparts. The literature on police-citizen relations in Latino/a communities is scant and narrowly focused on Mexicana/os and Chicana/os in southern and midwestern U.S. cities. Therefore, we know little about the experiences of Latino/a populations in other parts of the country. This article uses a Latina/o critical theory (LatCrit) perspective to examine thirty Afro-Caribbean youths' experiences with and perceptions of New York City police. Study findings highlight respondents' views that aggressive policing tactics are intended to restrict and criminalize Latino/a youths' use of public space. The authors conclude with recommendations for improving police--community relations with this population. Keywords: Afro-Caribbean youth; Latinos/as; police-community relations; LatCrit; immigration status

The purpose of this study was to assess the mediating role of depression in three different relationships: (a) sibling bullying and peer victimization, (b) mothers' power-assertive parenting and peer victimization, and (c) fathers' power-assertive parenting and peer victimization. Results from 242 Latino middle school adolescents from a large southwestern city bordering Mexico revealed that both boys' and girls' peer victimization were related to familial factors and depression. Regression analyses for boys revealed that depression mediated three relationships: (a) sibling bullying and peer victimization, (b) mothers' power-assertive parenting and peer victimization, and (c) fathers' power-assertive parenting and peer victimization. Depression also mediated the relationship between fathers' power-assertive parenting and girls' victimization by peers. The findings support the development of family-based interventions for peer victimization that include curriculum addressing depression. Keywords: sibling bullying; power-assertive parenting; family violence; victim schema; gender differences

This qualitative study focuses on the role that friendship, trust, and love play in the marriages of 25 Latino couples (50 individuals) who, through a semistructured interview, reported having strong marriages. Latino couples were interviewed using questions developed within the context of Latino culture. A model of how friendship, trust, and love contribute to strong marriages is proposed. Suggestions of how these findings can be used in marriage education are provided. KEYWORDS. Friendship, Latino Courtship, Latino friendship, Latino love, Latino marriage, Latino trust, love, marriage, strong Latino marriage, trust

This article presents analyses of a representative sample of U.S. Latinos (N = 2,540) to investigate whether family cohesion moderates the effects of cultural conflict on psychological distress. The results for the aggregated Latino group suggest a significant association between family cohesion and lower psychological distress, and the combination of strong family cohesion with presence of family cultural conflict is associated with higher psychological distress. However, this association differs by Latino groups. In this study, no association for Puerto Ricans is seen; Cuban results are similar to the aggregate group, family cultural conflict in Mexicans is associated with higher psychological distress whereas family cohesion in other Latinos is associated with higher psychological distress. Implications of these findings are discussed to unravel the differences in family dynamics across Latino subethnic groups. Keywords: family cohesion; family conflict; psychological distress; Latino ethnic groups

Are predictions that Hispanics will make up 25 per cent of the US population in 2050 reliable? The authors of this paper argue that these and other predictions are problematic insofar as they do not account for the volatile nature of Latino racial and ethnic identifications. In this light, the authors propose a theoretical framework that can be used to predict Latinos' and Latinas' racial choices. This framework is tested using two distinct datasets the 1989 Latino National Political Survey and the 2002 National Survey of Latinos. The results from the analyses of both of these surveys lend credence to the authors' claims that Latinas' and Latinos' skin colour and experiences of discrimination affect whether people from Latin America and their descendants who live in the US will choose to identify racially as black, white or Latina/o. Keywords: Latino; Hispanic; racial identification; skin colour; discrimination; assimilation.

Latino adolescent alcohol use is related to substance use, later life addiction, and other negative outcomes. The lack of knowledge on parenting and the parent-youth relationship in Latino families in the context of acculturation and its affects on alcohol use prompted this study. Secondary data analysis using the Add Health data set indicates that high amounts of parental control function positively for Latino families, contrary to some findings for non-Latinos. In addition, parental warmth significantly reduced alcohol use and also positively affected the parent-youth relationship which decreased alcohol use. When families spoke English at home, parental control decreased which lead to an increase in alcohol use. A critical examination of the implications for the cultural understanding of parental influences on adolescent alcohol use is discussed. Findings indicate that there are unique family mechanisms for Latino families that should be considered when developing intervention options. Keywords: Latino; adolescent; alcohol; parenting

This article examines the cross-sectional association between acculturation, acculturation stress, drinking, and intimate partner violence (IPV) among Hispanic couples in the U.S. The data being analyzed come from a multi-cluster random household sample of couples interviewed as part of the second wave of a 5-year national longitudinal study. The overall survey response rate for the second wave is 72%. Participants are Hispanic couples 18 years of age or older (N = 387). Results show that, among men, lower acculturation is positively associated with higher acculturation stress, which is directly related to a greater likelihood of involvement in IPV. These associations are also present among women. However, data for women show an additional path linking higher levels of acculturation directly to IPV. Drinking is not associated with IPV, independent of gender. Acculturation, directly or through acculturation stress, increases the likelihood of IPV. Keywords: acculturation; intimate partner violence; Hispanics; acculturation stress

Researchers attempted to increase the initiation of breastfeeding and its duration to 6 months among a group of low-income, Hispanic women through an intervention program which included prenatal education and home based postpartum support. All participants were telephoned after delivery to determine infant feeding method. Duration of breastfeeding was determined by counting the number of days from initiation to the last day the baby was put to the breast. The Bayesian approach was used for the statistical analyses. In the intervention group, the propensity to initiate breastfeeding exceeded that of the control group. Results indicate the intervention group had twice (2.31) the odds of starting breastfeeding, twice (1.84-3.15) the odds of continuing to breastfeed for 6 months, and only half (.50-.54) the tendency to quit at any one time than did the control group. Keywords: breast feeding; infant nutrition; home support; social support

The micropolitics of personal national identity construction of Hispanic/Latino Americans in the Greater Washington DC area is investigated. Educating diverse communities about explicit simultaneous identity construction brings a positive change and a possible solution to the discrepancies that are found in communities, small groups and families.

The proportion and dynamics of Latino-white residential segregation in micropolitan areas are examined. Results show that the Latinos become less segregated from non-Hispanics whites and suggest that this new American dilemma should be broadened to include micropolitan areas.

Despite the health and survival advantages of Hispanics relative to non-Hispanic whites in the USA, Hispanics report themselves to be in worse health than whites. Prior research indicates that these ethnic differences in self-rated health (SRH), measured by a simple question asking individuals to assess their overall health status, persist in the presence of an extensive set of explanatory variables. In this paper we use data from the first wave of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS-1) to test three hypotheses regarding Hispanic-white differences in SRH. We evaluate whether poorer health reports among Hispanics result from: (1) acculturation and language-related differences in reports; (2) measures of socioeconomic status (SES) that are often omitted in other studies; and (3) somatization of emotional distress by Hispanics. Our results provide new insights into the validity of these explanations and suggest avenues for future research. First, they underscore the importance of language of interview over other measures of acculturation, suggesting that translation issues between the Spanish and English versions of the SRH question may give rise to some of the differences. Second, adjustment for SES--especially years of schooling--narrows, but does not eliminate, the gap between whites' and Hispanics' SRH. Finally, although respondents who are depressed are more likely to report poor SRH, this study provides little evidence to support the somatization hypothesis. The second wave of L.A.FANS incorporates new questions that are likely to permit more in-depth assessments of these hypotheses in future analyses. Keywords: Race; Ethnicity; Hispanic; Self-rated health; Perceptions of health; Immigration; USA

The way by which second generation Italians in Switzerland have moved up the social ladder inspite of their migrant background without being judged as segregationist by the Swiss society is presented.

The effects of neighbourhood promoting cigarette and alcohol use among the Latino and Hispanic youths are investigated.

Sexual prejudice is linked to hate crimes, mental health, risk behaviors, and stigma. Few studies have examined sexual prejudice among Latinos. We surveyed 382 college students in Puerto Rico. A structural model tested whether contact and positive experiences with homosexuals, perceived similarities with peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, and religiosity were predictive of sexual prejudice among Puerto Rican young adults. Sex differences in the structural model were explored. With the exception of peers' attitudes toward homosexuality, all study variables predict sexual prejudice. No sex differences were found. Implications for decreasing sexual prejudice among Puerto Rican youth in a college setting are discussed. KEYWORDS. Sexual prejudice, discrimination, homophobia, homosexuality, gender, gay and lesbian, college, Latino, attitudes, religion

This study examined the relationships between perceived parenting behaviors (i.e., support, monitoring, punitiveness, and psychological control) and youth self-esteem in Latinos from three different types of family structures. Self-report data were collected from 807 Latino youth from three high schools in Los Angeles. Correlations, multiple regressions, and dominance analyses were used, and separate analyses were conducted for both the mothers' and fathers' behaviors across the three family forms (i.e., intact, single-mother families, and stepfather families). Three primary findings emerged. First, parental psychological control and support contributed more to Latino youth self-esteem than monitoring and punitiveness in all three family forms. Next, the perceived parenting behaviors accounted for more variance in self-esteem in the intact families than the single-mother or stepfather families. And third, the parenting behaviors by the stepfather accounted for the least amount of variance in self-esteem. Finally, implications for future research and programmatic efforts are presented, doi:10.1300/J087v47n03_01 [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: [c] 2007 by The Haworth Press. Inc. All rights reserved.] KEYWORDS. Self-esteem, parenting, adolescent, Latino families, family form, divorce in Latino families

This study explored whether gender nonconformity in gay and bisexual men is related to mental distress and if so, whether this relationship is mediated by negative experiences that are likely associated with gender nonconformity, including abuse and harassment. To study this question, data were analyzed from face-to face interviews with 912 self-identified gay and bisexual Latino men in three major U.S. cities collected by Diaz and colleagues (2001). Gay and bisexual Latino men who considered themselves to be effeminate had higher levels of mental distress and more frequently reported various negative experiences, compared with gay and bisexual Latino men who did not identify as effeminate. Higher levels of mental distress in effeminate men seemed to primarily result from more experiences of homophobia. Findings suggest the need for more attention to gender in research as well as counseling of sexual minority men., Recent studies using large-scale population-based samples have shown convincingly that compared with heterosexual persons, homosexual men and women are at higher risk for mental health problems (Cochran & Mays, 2000; [...]

Byline: Judith Torney-Purta (1), Carolyn H. Barber (1), Britt Wilkenfeld (1) Keywords: Hispanic; Latino; Citizenship; Political socialization; Ethnic identity; Positive youth development Abstract: Many studies have reported gaps between Latino and non-Latino adolescents in academic and political outcomes. The current study presents possible explanations for such gaps, both at the individual and school level. Hierarchical linear modeling is employed to examine data from 2,811 American ninth graders (approximately 14 years of age) who had participated in the IEA Civic Education study. Analyses of large data bases enable the consideration of individual characteristics and experiences, as well as the context of classrooms and schools. In comparison with non-Latino students, Latino adolescents report more positive attitudes toward immigrants' rights but have lower civic knowledge and expected civic participation. These differences were apparent even when controlling for language, country of birth, and political discussions with parents. School characteristics that explain a portion of this gap include open classroom climate and time devoted to study of political topics and democratic ideals. Results are discussed within the framework of developmental assets and political socialization. Implications for educational policy and ways to use large data sets are also discussed. Author Affiliation: (1) Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA Article History: Registration Date: 28/07/2006 Received Date: 26/05/2006 Accepted Date: 28/07/2006 Online Date: 21/09/2006 Article note: Professor of Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago. Her major research interests include the development of social and civic attitudes among adolescents across nations and the political engagement of college students. She received the Decade of Behavior Research Award in Democracy in 2005 Doctoral Candidate in Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, specializing in Educational Psychology. Her major research interests include modeling and other techniques suitable for analyzing large data sets, and also gifted and talented students Doctoral Student in Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, specializing in Developmental Science. A former Peace Corps volunteer, her major research interests include positive youth development among minority adolescents

An attempt is made to highlight the ethnicity in the U.S., the growth of the African-American and Latin American populations and its social implications, with particular regard to possible future alliances between African-Americans and Latinos. Such an African-American/Latino class alliance must be constructed that can strengthen the social justice movement on the way to transforming capitalist racial and gender relations.

The reordering of the international system from the point of view of the balance of power and the projection of the U.S. policy has deepened asymmetries thus allowing the East-West dispute to continue in terms of a North-South or center-periphery axis. This reordering is taken as the basis to examine contemporary capitalist process, the trends of the U.S. hegemony and their political and geopolitical implications for Latin America.

Ethnic minority status and health minority status (i.e., presence of illness) may facilitate repressive adaptive style (RAS) in an additive fashion, and a 'double stigma' hypothesis has been proposed to explain this additive effect. The authors compare RAS in European American, Mexican American, and Mexican children and examine the association of RAS to the traditional values of simpatia and collectivism. Results do not confirm the hypothesis that minority status contributes to RAS; however, collectivism is a significant predictor of defensiveness supporting a cultural hypothesis for RAS. Keywords: adaptive style; culture; coping; Latin American; Mexican; children; repressive adaptive style (RAS)

A research in understanding how people made sense of what happened during Hurricane Katrina and what factors influenced their perceptions is illustrated. The results supported the perspective that race matters, so does racial ideology, particularly racial colorblindness.

Ideas of New Museology are used a model to discuss a planning phase of the Community Museum Project in Langley Park, Maryland. The methodology is based on educational and psychological ideas of lifelong learning and life-stage development, which seeks to establish conditions to enable communities to learn about themselves and their needs, and to execute that knowledge.