INTRODUCTION PAGES

Erik Santos                                                                                                                                                                              

English Literature and Composition

P.0

The Struggle of Life

            Criminology is the study of criminals and crimes. Criminology has historically played a reforming role in relation to Criminal Law and the criminal justice system. As an applied discipline, it has produced findings that have influenced legislators, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, probation officers, and prison officials, prompting them to better understand crime and criminals and to develop better and more humane sentences and treatments for criminal behavior. The major study of criminology has to do with the reasons why people do specific crimes and which “type” of people do these crimes. The study of these people is currently named  “racial profiling” or “criminal profiling”.

            What is the difference between Racial Profiling and criminal profiling? "Racial Profiling" refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Criminal profiling, generally, as practiced by police, is the reliance on a group of characteristics they believe to be associated with crime (adu.org). Examples of racial profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for minor traffic violations (commonly referred to as "driving while black or brown"), or the use of race to determine which pedestrians to search for illegal contraband. Another example of racial profiling is the targeting, ongoing since the September 11th attacks, of Arabs, Muslims and South Asians for detention on minor immigrant violations in the absence of any connection to the attacks on the World Trade Center or the Pentagon.

            According to the individuals who made these absurd suggestions against race, there is a huge difference between criminal profiling and “racial profiling”. Every minority that is targeted or has been targeted with this injustice knows very well that there is little if not any difference between these two. These two injustices have led to nationwide discrimination, racism, and violence. The main targets for these cruel accusations have been African-Americans and Hispanics. I, being of Hispanic origin, have too felt a partial blow of this giant hammer of suppression.

            I currently lived in a town where about ninety-five percent of the inhabitants are of full Hispanic origin. I will give you a little background information about where I live and how this small, but yet flourishing town I call home was created. Rancho de Guadalupe was established in the 1840s as part of a Mexican land grant and was settled by pioneers of many unique backgrounds, such as European, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Mexican. The small town was incorporated as the city of Guadalupe on May 19, 1946. The city name honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, the title given to the Virgin Mary. Guadalupe is a small town. In addition to the Dunes Center, the town contains an art museum, the Rancho de Guadalupe Historical Society, a public library, veteran's memorial, the Masatani Mansion, and an old Buddhist temple (Wiki). The historic building occupied by city hall and the police department used to be a high school. There is a very small historic jail building at the park near the train tracks where the water tower stands. Every year on September 16 there is a parade on Guadalupe St. to celebrate Mexico's independence from Spain. As of 2010, according to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080.