Citation

Muggah R, Tobón KA. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2019; 47: 253-256.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.avb.2018.09.003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Violent crime concentrates in particular places, at specific times and among certain groups. Violent crime is especially concentrated in Latin American cities and urban neighborhoods. The region is home to just 14% of the world's population yet experiences 42% of the world's homicidal violence. In 2017, 43 of the 50 most homicidal cities on the planet were located there. The violent crime situation also appears to be worsening in many Latin American countries. Yet the very concentration of violent crime and its associated risks also offers opportunities for its prevention and reduction. Where crime has previously occurred is often where crime is most likely to recur in the future. Crime prevention measures that explicitly target places, people and times where crime clusters make sense on efficiency and effectiveness grounds. This descriptive analysis provides a general overview of the literature on crime concentration from Latin America and the Caribbean. In the process, it demonstrates how strategies focusing on "hot spots", "hot people" and "hot behaviors" urgently need to be replicated and scaled-up.

Language: en