Message to the American Sociological Review: White people, whether they are citizens or non-citizens are not being systematically mistreated by the criminal justice system

White supremacy is carried out through deception and the promotion of confusion is major tool of racists. [MORE] Here, white sociologists attempt to confuse by using the terms "citizenship" and race when analyzing sentencing decisions in federal courts. This is deception - all the non-citizens referenced in the study are non-white! White people, whether they are citizens or non-citizens are not being mistreated by the criminal justice system. Non-white people no matter how they have been classified by white people are victimized by the so-called criminal justice system, everyday. Don't believe it? Go to your local or federal court and observe the arraignments, trials and sentencing hearings for yourself. As with all things concerning non-white persons the following should be considered in the context of white supremacy/racism. 

From [HERE] Citizenship status is the most significant factor affecting U.S. federal court sentencing decisions, finds a study published in the American Sociological Review. “Compared to U.S. citizens, noncitizen offenders are over four timesmore likely to be incarcerated, and this effect is larger than the effects for race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, being convicted at trial, and any of the offense types,” write Michael T. Light, Michael Massoglia, and Ryan D. King. Noncitizens are also likely to be incarcerated for longer periods of time than citizens, with undocumented immigrants receiving the harshest penalties. The study, which has received media attention, is based on 2008 sentencing data and controls for other factors relevant to sentencing outcomes.

Non-U.S. citizens make up approximately half of the population that is sentenced in federal courts, and account for much of the growth in sentenced Hispanics. The study finds that undocumented immigrants are seven times likelier to be incarcerated and legal immigrants are twice as likely to be incarcerated as U.S. citizens. Sentence length is also higher for noncitizens than citizens. On average, noncitizens receive prison sentences that are 3.5 months longer than sentences for citizens, after controlling for relevant differences. These disparities, which account for a considerable share of the sentencing disadvantage for Hispanics, have been steadily increasing: the citizenship penalty more than doubled between 1992-2008. Furthermore, the discrepancy between citizen and noncitizen punishment is wider in districts with growing immigrant populations. [MORE]