Citation

Correa-Cabrera G, López-Santana M, Pardo-Herrera C. Int. J. Comp. Appl. Crim. Justice 2023; 47(1): 79-97.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis)

DOI

10.1080/01924036.2021.1949739

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

By focusing on the case of Northern Virginia (NOVA) and comparing it to the countries of the Central American Northern Triangle, this article argues that, in contrast to the dominant narrative, MS-13 in NOVA is a fragmented criminal organisation without much capacity to engage in sophisticated, transnational criminal activities. This piece "brings the State back in" to show that strong State capacity, grounded in a combination of coercive and infrastructural powers, allows us to understand the weakness of MS-13 in NOVA. These findings are supported by interviews with experts, members of law enforcement, and public officials.

Language: en

Keywords

Central America; gangs; MS-13/Mara Salvatrucha; the State; United States