Negotiating with organized crime in Colombia: Legal, political, and social dilemmas

• In Event: ASC Presidential Panel: Intersections of Justice, Law, and Policy in Latin America: Emerging Opportunities to Tackle Serious/organized Crime

Abstract

In 2022 Colombia authorized the government's ability to negotiate the surrender of high-impact criminal organizations to justice. Three years later, in 2025, peace negotiations as an alternative to resolving conflict situations received the lowest historical support in citizen security surveys. Based on fieldwork conducted in four cities where various negotiation tables were established, this paper addresses the legal, political, and social dilemmas surrounding negotiations with organized crime. This includes the challenges of defining which groups to negotiate with, the difficulties in legitimizing negotiation processes with violent and corrupt armed actors, and the implications for progressive alternatives to a less punitive criminal policy. Despite these challenges, we propose that negotiations should remain an available alternative within more effective security policies

Authors

• Gina Cabarcas, Laboratorio de Justicia y Política Criminal

• Juanita Duran, Laboratorio de Justicia y Política Criminal