Abstract
There are signs of growing resistance to repressive approaches to crime prevention—so-called mano dura—in Latin America and the Caribbean. Faced with spiralling violence and comparatively high spending on public security, alternatives to mano dura started emerging in the late 1990s. Progressive mayors, industry leaders, scholars, and civil society groups have initiated a host of city-based interventions, building what are called “citizen security” strategies from the ground-up. This chapter considers the intended and unintended consequences of mano dura in Latin America and the opportunities for alternative approaches to preventing and reducing violent crime. In highlighting the costs and benefits of prevention, it makes a case for strengthening citizen security measures across the region.
Credit to Juan Carlos Garzón and Manuela Suárez for their contribution.
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Notes
- 1.
There is a two-way causality between poverty and incarceration rates that implies a type of positive feedback loop, where rising incarceration rates create conditions that beget even higher rates of imprisonment. See Haney (2006).
- 2.
See also https://crimesolutions.gov.
- 3.
One area or the city where the programme was implemented reported 17 months without a single shooting.
- 4.
For a complete review of effective recidivism initiatives in the US, consult: https://www.crimesolutions.gov/TopicDetails.aspx?ID=35/.
- 5.
See the Prison Entrepreneurship Program at http://www.pep.org/.
- 6.
See the Portal Âmbito Jurídico at http://www.ambitojuridico.com.br/site/index.php?n_link=revista_artigos_leitura&artigo_id=9296/.
- 7.
See the European Union External Action at https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquartershomepage_en/7857/A%20new%20chance%20for%20prisoners%20in%20Brazil/.
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Muggah, R. (2019). Reviewing the Costs and Benefits of Mano Dura Versus Crime Prevention in the Americas. In: Shaw, T.M., Mahrenbach, L.C., Modi, R., Yi-chong, X. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary International Political Economy. Palgrave Handbooks in IPE. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45443-0_29
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