Rethinking U.S.-Global South Crime and Criminal Justice Partnerships in an Era of Disengagement

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

The disengagement of the United States from global affairs, particularly in utilizing foreign aid to address various crime, criminal justice, and security-related issues, has sparked concern among practitioners, who argue that it damages U.S. credibility and makes our lives even more dangerous than before. However, critics of imperialism, colonial legacies, and economic exploitation by global superpowers such as the U.S. may see this shift as an opportunity to develop crime prevention and security strategies on their terms. As a rebuttal, a rigid rejection of cooperation risks ignoring the deeply interconnected nature of globalized crime and criminal justice challenges. This discussion raises questions about the challenges of U.S. global disengagement, balancing concerns over security and stability with the potential for more localized and autonomous approaches to crime control. By bringing together diverse perspectives from the U.S. and global south, this roundtable aims to assess critically the evolving role of the U.S. in international security, particularly under this new administration; the implications of US disengagement, areas of engagement, and the complications with re-engagement in the future; what crime prevention and security could look like in a world with either minimal or significantly reduced U.S. influence.

Sub Unit

• Area IX. Comparative & Historical Perspectives:  / 70. Globalization, Crime, and Justice

Individual Presentations

• Killing Aid: How Foreign Aid Flows Shape Global Homicide Rates - Laura Iesue, Sam Houston State University

• Evolving US Engagement as an Opportunity for Decolonial, Locally-Developed Anti-Carceral Approaches to Addressing Crime and Insecurity - Nathan W. Pino, Texas State University

• The Circulation of Policing in Latin America: Actors, Mechanisms and Templates - Felipe Salazar-Tobar, Kennesaw State University

Chair

• Dawn Beichner-Thomas, Illinois State University

Discussant

• Wayne Pitts, RTI International

Organized by a Division or external group?

Division of International Criminology