Numerous studies have examined political influences on immigrants' communities' allocations of fiscal and personnel resources for policing, and public opinion or public confidence in the criminal justice system. Rational theory maintains that resources are distributed in accordance with the need for crime control whereas the conflict theory argues that they are allocated with the aim of controlling racial and ethnic minorities. Existing research more consistently supports the conflict arugment, but important issues remain unaddressed. The study addressed a previously unexamined question: whether immigrants' communities and native-born Americans have equal criminal justice knowledge of the United States' criminal justice system. The analysis includes the key variables from the opportunity structure and rational choice, deterrence power, and social disorganization theories. The study contends that American immigrants have limited options in assessing criminal justice knowledge that decreases their understanding of the criminal justice system. This study suggests that this lack of knowledge of immigrant populations impacts the field of CJS, and also creates a great deal of anxiety in these populations surrounding the CJS.

Keywords: criminal justice knowledge, information opportunities, deterrence power, fear and confidence, policies