Bridging immigrant crime, acculturation, and the life course: a broader perspective

Abstract

Research generally supports that immigrants engage in less crime than the native-born; however, theory behind the immigrant-crime link has a foundation largely rooted in assimilationism. While this offers valuable insight, an immigrant-centered perspective focusing on individuals and crime has yet to be offered. We position the life course as a valuable lens to understand how immigrant socialization, largely informed by acculturation, serves to protect against—though in some cases exacerbate—the risk of criminal offending. Building off prior perspectives in the life course tradition, we offer that the immigrant-crime link may be explained through a life course lens by emphasizing how acculturation works with six concepts: linked lives (i.e., social linkages), time and place, life-stage, situational imperatives, agency, and accentuation.