By Martin F. Horn Even at their best, prisons are menacing environments. Bullying behavior is no stranger to high schools; we should not be surprised when it takes brutal shape in our prisons and jails. We call them gangs. Prisons and jails are environments of enforced scarcity. When we create this artificial scarcity we create an environment where an underground … [Read more...] about Why we need a radically different approach to prisons
Why crime journalism has to change
By Stephen Handelman Recently, in New York City, a group of public health professionals and crime experts came together at a conference to discuss how to apply public health concepts to the “epidemic” of mass incarceration in the United States. “Public health, incarceration and justice issues are inextricably linked, in both the causes of the incarceration rate, and in the … [Read more...] about Why crime journalism has to change
Will higher crime rates derail Haiti’s potential for prosperity?
By Julienne Gage A new report by the United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs shows that homicides in Haiti are on the rise. Still, Haitians could have reason to be optimistic about the country’s future. … [Read more...] about Will higher crime rates derail Haiti’s potential for prosperity?
Time for cities in Latin America and Africa to connect on citizen security
By Robert Muggah, Director of the Igarapé Institute, and Nathalie Alvarado, Coordinator for Citizen Security programs at the IDB Epidemic levels of crime and violence constitute a major challenge for the economic and social development of cities in Latin America and Central and Southern Africa. Notwithstanding rapid economic growth and political and social transformations … [Read more...] about Time for cities in Latin America and Africa to connect on citizen security
How citizen security is changing in Latin America and the Caribbean
By Robert Muggah This post is also available in Spanish Faced with epidemic rates of violence, Latin American and Caribbean countries are expanding their investment in security and development cooperation. Many are doing so under the rubric of “citizen security”. Citizen security implies a commitment to responsible statehood and proactive citizenship in achieving public … [Read more...] about How citizen security is changing in Latin America and the Caribbean