Criminal Governance and Violence in Latin American Cities

Latin American cities have witnessed the emergence of criminal governance as a parallel system of authority, whereby organised groups assume functions traditionally reserved for the state. These actors establish territorial control through a combination of coercion, provision of services and informal justice mechanisms, reshaping urban landscapes and challenging official sovereignty. Violence becomes both a means of consolidating power and a by-product of competing jurisdictions, as rival organisations respond to incursions and state interventions. Patterns of homicide, extortion and armed confrontation are often spatially clustered, reflecting the importance of neighbourhood networks, socio-economic inequality and institutional fragility. In some areas, criminal groups offer dispute resolution, public security and limited welfare, undermining legitimacy of the formal state while creating dependencies among residents. The complexity of these dynamics has global significance: similar processes of fragmented authority and urban violence appear in other regions, informing debates on policing, community resilience and urban planning. Practical applications of this research include the design of more nuanced security interventions, integration of community-based governance structures and the adoption of policies that address both the enforcement and the socio-economic roots of criminal rule.

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Criminal Governance and Violence in Latin American Cities publication trend

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Technical terms

Criminal governance: The exercise of authority and provision of services by organised non-state groups, resembling official state functions.

Fragmented sovereignty: A condition in which state and non-state actors assert overlapping or competing territorial authority.

Territorial threat: The perceived challenge by rival organisations to a group’s control over a specific urban area.

Non-state armed actor: An organised group engaging in violence and governance outside formal state institutions.

Micro-comparative approach: A research method comparing localised cases to identify mechanisms driving varied responses to interventions.

References

1. The Logic of Criminal Territorial Control: Military Intervention in Rio de Janeiro. Comparative Political Studies (2021).
2. City, Nation, Network: Shifting Territorialities of Sovereignty and Urban Violence in Latin America. Urban Planning (2020).
3. Crime and punishment in the city: the repertoires of justice and the question of murder on the outskirts of São Paulo. Caderno CRH (2010).