Explaining Patterns of Urban Violence in Medellin, Colombia

Abstract

is one of the world's most violent regions, with 40 of the 50 most violent cities, but with only 8% of the world's population, and a staggering 33% of global homicides. At the forefront of these high levels of violence are gangs that are more flexible and persistent than previously thought. This paper provides a discussion on gangs in one Latin American city, Medellin, Colombia, where different non-state groups have contributed to changing patterns of homicide rates. The paper presents preliminary findings to show how, despite the city experiencing a 90% reduction in homicide rates in less than 25 years, violent non-state groups have become embedded as part and product of their environment, acting as coherent, logical and functional players, linked to the structural inequalities and institutional fragility of the larger society.

Formal Employment and Organized Crime: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Colombia

“…As such, we exclude older men. Focusing on ages when arrest rates peak reduces these concerns regarding the measurement of criminality, and allows us to emphasize the period when young men first make choices between crime and other jobs in Medellín (Doyle, 2016). Figure A1 describes the timeline of our data.…”

Narcomenudeo y control territorial en América Latina

“…Se puede afirmar que, en contextos de narcomenudeo, la violencia "determina los espacios de control y usufructo del territorio" (Raffo López y Gómez Calderón 2017, 231). Por tanto, las bandas la usan de forma sistemática (Doyle 2016). Su presencia en un determinado territorio urbano es violenta por sí misma, en cuanto se garantiza en parte mediante el uso y la amenaza de la violencia.…”

Firearm Violence: A Global Priority for Nursing Science

“…Income inequality is associated with higher homicide rates, a finding that is consistent across countries (Elgar & Aitken, ; Kennedy, Kawachi, Prothrow‐Stith, Lochner, & Gupta, ; Lotufo & Bensenor, ; Wang & Arnold, ). High rates of homicide in Latin American countries are linked with rapid urbanization and marginalization of certain populations, which has given rise to organized gangs and crime groups (Doyle, ). Conversely, communities with a middle class, opportunities for employment, and local investment experience lower homicide rates (Doucet & Lee, ).…”