Study finds immigrants commit less crime
People born outside the United States make up about 35 percent of California's adult population but account for about 17 percent of the adult prison population, the report by the Public Policy Institute of California showed.
When all forms of institutions were considered (half-way houses, jail, as well as prisons) the disparity was greater. American born males were 10x as likely to be institutionalized than foreign born.
Although the report did not differentiate between undocumented and documented it went on to say:
Among other findings in the report, non-citizen men from Mexico 18 to 40 -- a group disproportionately likely to have entered the United States illegally -- are more than eight times less likely than U.S.-born men in the same age group to be in a correctional institution (0.48 percent vs. 4.2 percent).
"From a public safety standpoint, there would be little reason to further limit immigration, to favor entry by high-skilled immigrants, or to increase penalties against criminal immigrants," the report said.
Submitted for Discussion.