A 'Reserve Army of Delinquents'

This article explores the role of 'irregular' immigrants in the political economy of Spain, their related criminalization & the forms of punishment that attach to their illegal status. Based on secondary data, government documents & field research, I argue that Spanish immigration...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Punishment & society 2003-10, Vol.5 (4), p.399-413
Main Author: Calavita, Kitty
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Criminalization
Immigrants
Immigration Policy
Political Economy
Punishment
Spain
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Summary:This article explores the role of 'irregular' immigrants in the political economy of Spain, their related criminalization & the forms of punishment that attach to their illegal status. Based on secondary data, government documents & field research, I argue that Spanish immigration laws primarily focus on defining levels of social & economic inclusion/exclusion, & that they have the consequence of marginalizing immigrants & consigning them to the extensive underground economy, as a kind of economic sanction for their illegal status. Finally, it is this punishment & the economic marginalization it helps constitute that shore up the 'flexibility' that immigrants provide the post-Fordist economy & for which they are reluctantly tolerated. 64 References. [Copyright 2003 Sage Publications Ltd.]
ISSN:1462-4745