Policy Analysis I Paper

There have been a lot of concerns on the numbers of illegal aliens entering the United States and the impact they bring to the continent. These illegal aliens have not entered United States without the government knowing, but have also desecrated the United States law and even its municipalities. At the local and state levels, arresting, sentencing, prosecuting and supervising these illegal aliens termed to be criminals is a big problem (Clark & Anderson, 2000). Six different states have filed suits that have forced the federal government in reimbursing them for the criminal justice costs connected with these illegal aliens. They have stated that it is the responsibility of the federal government in keeping the illegal aliens out of the country and expelling those who are in the country.

This essay shows the characteristics of these illegal aliens in the criminal justice system at state, local and federal levels. The analysis done at the federal level is based on the data from the United States Sentencing Commission that contains info on the criminal defendants who have been sentenced according to the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act and Pretrial Services Act Information System that contains info of charged defendants having federal offences (Clark & Anderson, 2000). The numbers of the illegal aliens that are in the federal criminal justice have shot up sharply. This is because the border enforcement was increased, increase in inhabitant illegal alien population and better identification methods used for the illegal aliens.

Other different factors may also play a role in the numbers of increased illegal aliens in the federal criminal justice. In determining what leads to the changes in criminal activities, Pretrial Services Act Information System and United States Sentencing Commission data are limited. After the introduction of Operations Hold the Line and Gatekeeper, the population of these illegal aliens’ defendants that were accused and convicted of crossing the border illegally increased. Even though the convictions for these offenses increased in other different districts, not the two districts that were the homes of the initiatives. Missing any details on the law enforcement initiatives in the data sets associated with every arrest, conclusions on the links between arrests and enforcements become suggestive. The ability in tracking the level of changes in criminal activities on the illegal aliens will be enhanced if increased data on the aliens is collected.

The Cook County analysis showed that the enormous majority number of illegal aliens offenders in New York, California, Illinois and Florida were people who entered with no knowledge or permission issued form the government of United States (Clark & Anderson, 2000). Many illegal aliens that have apprehended themselves at the local level are long term immigrants.

In conclusion, by increasing the prosecutions and convictions of these illegal aliens, numbers and estimated costs used in supervising and incarcerating defendants who were convicted in the federal courts were affected. Incase the efforts of border interdiction reduce attempts in illegal entries by these aliens; the negative effect on the federal criminal justice system may be o short basis. For the criminal activities among the illegal aliens to reduce, the number of EWIs is supposed to be reduced. By reducing the population of the illegal aliens coming to the United States may have emotional impact on crime rates beyond the United States Mexican border.

Reference

Clark, R.L. & Anderson, S.A. (2000, June 30). Illegal Aliens in Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Systems. Urban Institute. Retrieved February 28, 2013, < http://www.urban.org/publications/410366.html>

Clark, R.L. & Anderson, S.A. (2001). Illegal Aliens in Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Systems. Crime & Justice International, 17(56), 9-10, 33-35.