If the fears of many Americans are true, immigrants commit violent crimes. However, those fears are not necessarily based on the facts. Stowell (immigration research, Florida International U.) notes that unlike that of his predecessors, his research takes ethnicity into consideration along with direct and indirect effects of immigration on crime, such as poverty, aspects of diversity and residential instability, all of which have proven to be determinants in non-immigrant crime. He also looks carefully into the characteristics of the victims of crimes committed by immigrants, many of whom are immigrants themselves rather than members of the "receiving community." Stowell's close reading of primary materials, including police reports and census data, shows that contrary to previous research, crime depends on many more factors than just how long the perpetrators have lived in America. Annotation 2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
