Kostogryzov P.I. Society and state in the fight against crime: Latin American experience

Abstract: Latin America remains one of the most criminalized regions of the world. At the same time, the states of the regions possess a vast experience in successfully counteracting crime. The subject of this research is the work of the public institutions of the Latin American countries on control over crime. On the examples of Guatemala, Columbia, and Peru the author analyzes the experience of the fight of the Latin American society against crime in the conditions of weakness of the law enforcement apparatus of the respective countries. This work explores the approaches of the Latin American authorities towards public institutions of crime prevention and demonstrates the evolution of these approaches towards the end of the XX and beginning of the XXI centuries. The author elucidates the various forms of answers of the civil society towards the challenges related to domestic armed conflicts and growth in crime. The author makes conclusions on the importance of the social organization in the condition of the weakness of state institutions; on the fact that the optimal form of such organizations is communities; on the need of state to rely on public strength for conducting a successful criminal law policy.  

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