Crime and Citizen Security in Central America

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Central America is the world’s most violent region, with homicide rates reaching historical heights amid seemingly uncontrollable violence, particularly among gangs, and among the transnational drug trafficking cartels that have increasingly made the region their base of operations. Despite a range of policies, from extensive community policing programs to harsh iron fist policing, governments on both the left and rights have been unable to stem this mounting criminality. What explains this cycle of violence and failure to curb it? This panel examines the many underlying causes, focusing on deep levels of state inefficiency and corruption, the great power of non-state entities, and patterns of violence within society.

Sub Track

• (Un)Rule of Law and Citizenship Rights

Session Organizer

• Marcelo Bergman, Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Argentina

Individual Presentations

• Gangs and Security in Central America - Thomas J Boerman

• The Evolution and Impact of Domestic and Transnational Drug Trafficking Organizations in Guatemala - Charles D Brockett, Sewanee: The University of the South

• Networks of Insecurity: Reform and Crime in Honduras - Mark Ungar, Graduate Center, City Univ of New York

• Community Policing and Political Support in Central America - Jose Miguel Cruz Alas, Florida International University

• Elites and Organized Crime in Central America - Steven S Dudley, InSight - Organized Crime

Discussant

• Marcelo Bergman, Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Argentina