What Works in Reducing Community Violence: Spotlight on Central America and Mexico
Over the past decade, Mexico and Central America have witnessed escalating levels of community violence. Latin America as a whole is the most violent region in the world, accounting for 33 percent of global homicides despite representing only 9 percent of the world’s population. While prevention and rehabilitation are gaining ground in the region, government responses to violent crime continue to trend towards heavy-handed suppression, which has led to the wrongful arrest of thousands of youth, overwhelmed prisons and justice systems, and empowered gangs. Join us for a discussion about what works in reducing community level violence and can be implemented in Central America. The dialogue is based on a recent study for USAID by Thomas Abt from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Speakers will expand on various evidence-based approaches to reducing crime and violence, experiences throughout the region, and opportunities for replication in the Northern Triangle. To read our take on USAID's report, click here.
Co-sponsored by:
Event Sponsors
Speakers
Moderator
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation
Hosted By
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Mexico Institute
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more