Immigrants in Courts

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants enter the United States each year, and the number appearing in U.S. courts is rising in many states. Immigrants in Courts addresses their access to justice in the United States and the procedural obstacles they face. Immigrants’ cultural and linguistic dilemmas in court are explored through their words and the reports of judges, attorneys, and court interpreters. Techniques for responding to the problem are examined in this readable and informative text.

Immigrants in Courts provides judges, court staff, and advocates with ready information about the legal and cultural systems under which many immigrants grew up. Legal experts discuss the legal systems of four countries--China, Mexico, Russia, and Vietnam--and of the Muslim world. They explore not only how the law appears on the books but how the general population of a country perceives its legal system and how perceptions affect expectations in the new country.