ABSTRACT
Segmented assimilation theory (Portes & Rumbaut, 2001; Portes & Zhou, 1993) provides an updated understanding of the specific challenges faced by the post 1960 wave of immigrants. This perspective acknowledges the highly stratified and segmented character of the U.S. contemporary society and the marked differences that exist across immigrant groups in terms of their human capital and the context of receptions they encounter.
This chapter describes the core elements of segmented assimilation theory and the different assimilation pathways it identifies. Special attention is given to how these pathways and its determinants relate to differential vulnerabilities towards crime and victimization across immigrants and the empirical studies exploring these relationships. Studies of segmented assimilation and crime showing the problematic effect of acculturation on crime as well as the protective effect of a strong co-ethnic community are then presented. In light of segmented assimilation theory, the fact that the effects of both acculturation and immigrant concentration are shown to vary across different ethnic groups, cities, or communities is also discussed. Finally, an effort is made to trace some parallels between new developments in the immigration literature and changes in criminological theory. In particular, this chapter emphasizes the commonalities between the evolution of the Chicago school of social disorganization and the emergence of segmented assimilation theory. Several avenues for integrating segmented assimilation theory with the different traditions in criminology are then suggested.
