Processing Femicide in Courts of the Global South: Evidence from Argentina

• In Event: Prosecution in the Making II: Plea Bargaining and Case Processing in the Americas

Abstract

"Femicide" refers to the killing of women or girls on account of their gender, and Latin America has some of the highest femicide rates in the world. Yet, we know little about how these crimes are processed in the criminal justice system. Exploiting a unique data set of femicides in Argentina, we explore the outcomes of these cases by focusing on the victim-offender relationship--including victims’ vulnerability factors, such as sexual orientation and immigration status--and situational factors, primarily the use of firearms. We complement these analyses with qualitative information on prosecutorial decision-making regarding gender-based violence. In doing so, this research builds on both the literature on femicides and other hate crimes and research on criminal case disposition.

Authors

• Miguel Quintana-Navarrete, University of California, Irvine

• Gustavo Fondevila, CIDE / Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona