Violent Crime in Latin American Cities

In the last two decades, Latin America has been describes as an unsafe and violent region. Nonetheless, such picture is mostly based on homicide rates. Even though homicide is considered the best recorded crime, it does not provide full account of other forms of violent crime. Moreover, a great deal of research on crime throughout the region tends to be descriptive and anecdotal. Misunderstanding the causes of crime and disregarding evidence might induce policy makers to implement ineffective strategies, particularly at the local level. Therefore, based on Social Disorganization Theory, this study explains violent crime across and within selected cities of Latin America.