Beyond Gang Truces and Mano Dura Policies: Towards Substitutive Security Governance in Latin America

Schuberth, Moritz

doi:10.5334/sta.450

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…To effectively analyze and understand the situations, a basic understanding of gang violence in Latin America must be built. Schuberth (2016) highlights the background of the functionality of gangs and gang interaction. The paper analyzes the interactive strategies gangs employ and recommends methods to handle criminal gangs.…”

Section: Ii: Gang Violence and Transnational Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. Involvement in the Northern Triangle and its Effects on Immigration

Smith¹,

Alysworth²,

Garyantes³

et al. 2020

University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal

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The purpose of this paper is to investigate how U.S. involvement in transnational violence and gang violence affects immigration waves to the United States from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Specifically, we examined the effects of the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) and the Alliance for Prosperity Plan. To do so, we compared the immigration and homicide rates in each of the three countries during the time periods in which the legislation was enacted. The data suggest that both legislative acts were relatively successful in achieving their goal of reducing criminal violence. An overall decreasing trend was noted for the years of 2009-2012 and 2016-2018. Yet, the CARSI and Alliance for Prosperity Plan had a relatively small effect on immigration. This was due to their main purpose of decreasing crime rates in the Northern Triangle.

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Section: Ii: Gang Violence and Transnational Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. Involvement in the Northern Triangle and its Effects on Immigration

Smith¹,

Alysworth²,

Garyantes³

et al. 2020

University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal

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“…Government responses towards illicit non-state armed groups come in different forms. Schuberth (2014) makes a distinction between more accommodating, preventive and coercive (also repressive or conflictive) approaches. While accommodating approaches are based on the idea that negotiation, cooperation, or contact with gangs can contribute to the solution or mitigation of the problem, the assumption of coercive policies is that gangs are criminal actors that have to be countered by applying criminal justice and/or coercion.…”

Section: Governments and Gangs -Responses And Liaisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While accommodating approaches are based on the idea that negotiation, cooperation, or contact with gangs can contribute to the solution or mitigation of the problem, the assumption of coercive policies is that gangs are criminal actors that have to be countered by applying criminal justice and/or coercion. Despite the tensions between the assumptions undergirding accommodating and coercive approaches, it is not unusual to combine elements of these approaches, and peace processes in the past have shown that the two are not necessarily incompatible (Schuberth, 2014;Wennmann, 2014).…”

Section: Governments and Gangs -Responses And Liaisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Government Responses to Gang Power: From Truce to War on Gangs in El Salvador

Borgh

2019

ERLACS

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This article reflects on the challenges that governments face in dealing with illicit armed groups that have built up local power positions. It analyses an accommodating government response (a local truce) to gangs in the town of Nueva Concepción, El Salvador, and its aftermath that was characterised by a renewed crackdown on them. These responses did not manage to break gang power. While the local truce had led to some modifications in gang use of violence and the degree and forms of extortion they used, the 'war on gangs' that followed the local gang truce had a more disruptive effect, as it was not able to stop or break their control. The paper shows that different responses can take place simultaneously, affecting each other in intended and unintended ways. Recognizing the profound contestation about the 'right policy mix' in situations where state power is violently challenged, it also discusses some of the challenges and possibilities to combine accommodating, repressive and preventive approaches.

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“…Mano dura policies have a long history in the region and still enjoy fairly widespread support. Rare efforts at improving upon them—such as in Central America—are often not given the commitment necessary to succeed (Schuberth, 2016).…”

Section: Police Reform and Institutional Trust In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

Political Elites, Crime, and Trust in the Police in Latin America

Liebertz

2017

International Criminal Justice Review

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This article examines the effect of crime on support for criminal justice systems in Latin America. Scholars empirically demonstrate a strong negative effect of crime on support for institutions and satisfaction with democracy. Others provide thick descriptions of the prevalence of creeping authoritarianism in response to crime—the infamous “mano dura” or “iron fist.” I test the effectiveness of elite political messaging across different countries. In other words, do politicians that promote “iron-fist” policies reassure their intended audience and shore up support for the police and the criminal justice system? Analyzing survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project and Wiesehomeier and Benoit’s expert survey of Latin American political party platforms, I find that elite political opinion about insecurity conditions the effect of crime victimization and fear of crime on mass support for the police and the justice system as well as on perceptions of police and justice system effectiveness. When political elites emphasize mano dura (“iron fist”) solutions, fearful citizens and victims are less critical of the police and the justice system in general.

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Beyond Gang Truces and Mano Dura Policies: Towards Substitutive Security Governance in Latin America

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

U.S. Involvement in the Northern Triangle and its Effects on Immigration

U.S. Involvement in the Northern Triangle and its Effects on Immigration

Government Responses to Gang Power: From Truce to War on Gangs in El Salvador

Political Elites, Crime, and Trust in the Police in Latin America

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