Criminal courts in the United States engage defendants with Limited English Proficiency on a regular basis. However, we know little about how court‐appointed interpreters shape case‐level routines and dispositions, nor how these interpreters navigate their immediate courtroom environment. We draw on observations of bail hearings (N = 647) conducted in 2015–16 in three arraignment courts in New York and New Jersey to map the practice and consequences of language interpretation. More specifically, we examine whether the use of an interpreter relates to indicators of judicial treatment and case disposition by bail type/amount, and explore more broadly how the presence of interpreters shapes the casework of other courtroom actors. Results from multivariate regression models indicate that cases with interpreters are associated with a more limited judicial review, a lower likelihood of unconditional release, and higher cash bonds. We discuss these findings in terms of evolving mechanisms of social control and the criminalization of disadvantaged populations.

中文翻译：

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三审法院传译员与保释政治经济学

美国的刑事法院定期聘请英语能力有限的被告。然而，我们对法庭指定的口译员如何塑造案件级别的惯例和处置，以及这些口译员如何驾驭他们眼前的法庭环境知之甚少。我们借鉴了 2015-16 年在纽约和新泽西的三个传讯法院进行的保释听证会（N = 647）的观察结果，以描绘语言翻译的实践和后果。更具体地说，我们通过保释类型/金额检查口译员的使用是否与司法待遇和案件处理指标有关，并更广泛地探讨口译员的存在如何影响其他法庭参与者的案件工作。多元回归模型的结果表明，有口译员的案件与更有限的司法审查、更低的无条件释放可能性和更高的现金债券有关。我们根据不断发展的社会控制机制和弱势群体的刑事定罪来讨论这些发现。