Youth Violence in Latin America : Gangs and Juvenile Justice in Perspective

This volume provides a systematic overview of the contemporary Latin American youth violence phenomenon. The authors focus specifically on youth gangs, juvenile justice issues, and applied research concerns, providing a rounded and balanced exploration of this increasingly important topic. This volume provides a systematic overview of the contemporary Latin American youth violence phenomenon. The authors focus specifically on youth gangs, juvenile justice issues, and applied research concerns, providing a rounded and balanced exploration of this increasingly important topic Review: "These studies, in an original and comparative framework, offer creative and inspiring approaches to understanding youth violence, opening the way for new perspectives to address the needs and rights of the youth in Latin America and all over the world."--Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Independent Expert of the UN Secretary-General for the global study on violence against children and Author of the World Report on Violence against Children (2006) "This ground-breaking volume on youth violence in Latin America is holistic and balanced in scope, and contributes definitively to a complex and often contentious debate. It is highly recommended for researchers and policy makers alike."--Caroline Moser, Professor of Urban Development, Global Urban Research Centre, University of Manchester, UK "This collection offers a timely and path-breaking perspective on one of the most contested issues in Latin America today: crime, violence, and insecurity ... Highly accessible and very readable, this work brings much needed nuance and perspective into the debate on youth violence, gang life, and interventions aimed at dealing with or solving this problem." - Kees Koonings, Associate Professor of Development Studies and Latin American Studies, Utrecht University - The Netherlands Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Youth Violence in Latin America: An Overview and Agenda for Research....Pages 1-24 Living in the Shadow of Death: Gangs, Violence, and Social Order in Urban Nicaragua, 1996–2002....Pages 25-44 Security at Stake: Dealing with Violence and Public (In)Security in a Popular Neighborhood in Guadalajara, Mexico....Pages 45-62 Good Times and Bad Blood: Violence, Solidarity, and Social Organization on Dominican Streets....Pages 63-82 “Gaining Respect”: The Logic of Violence among Young Men in the Barrios of Caracas, Venezuela....Pages 83-103 Piloting Experimental Methods in Youth Gang Research: A Camping Expedition with Rival Manchas in Ayacucho, Peru....Pages 105-132 The Dilemmas of Politically Sensitive Medicalized Approaches to Reducing Youth Violence in Pelotas, Brazil....Pages 133-148 Understanding the Logic of Nicaraguan Juvenile Justice....Pages 149-165 Deadly Symbiosis? The PCC, the State, and the Institutionalization of Violence in São Paulo, Brazil....Pages 167-181 Mean Streets: Youth, Violence, and Daily Life in Mexico City....Pages 183-202 Policing Youth in Latin America....Pages 203-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-234 Criminal violence has come dramatically to the forefront in contemporary Latin America, to the extent that it is widely considered the critical social concern of the present. Youth are among the principal victims but also the primary perpetrators of this new panorama of brutality. At the same time, the phenomenon remains profoundly misunderstood, as sensationalist myths and stereotypes abound. Through the juxtaposition of wide-ranging, cutting-edge studies focusing specifically on youth gangs and the dynamics of juvenile justice, this volume provides a balanced and systematic comparative overview of the reality of present-day Latin American youth violence