How Criminal Groups Helped Fill Venezuela’s Post-Chávez Void
When Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez succumbed to cancer in 2013, a perfect storm of crises was already looming on the…
The Future of Venezuela’s Hybrid State
The evolution of a hybrid state in Venezuela, combining governance with criminality, has helped President Nicolás Maduro hold on to…
Hybrid Governance and the Criminal Fiefdoms of Tren de Aragua
There are specific expectations for residents of San Vicente, a neighborhood in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua. Men are not…
Honduras Anti-Gang Crackdown Targets Only One Source of Violence
The Honduran government is intensifying its anti-gang crackdown following recent outbursts of criminal violence, but its one-size-fits-all response fails to…
Q&A: Latin American Children With Parents in Prison Get No Support
Despite wide-ranging evidence of the consequences of prison overcrowding, including widespread gang recruitment and extensive human rights abuses, Latin America…
Massacre in Honduran Women’s Prison: A Tragedy Foretold
The recent murder of dozens of women in Honduras’ only all-female prison took place in a context of growing gang…
Honduras Makes Few Advances Against Crime During 6-Month State of Exception
The state of exception in Honduras has now been in place for six months. But contrary to government claims and…
The Inescapable Prison of Barrio 18 in Honduras
Entering Barrio 18, the powerful Central American street gang, can seem like a violent rebirth. Members get a new family,…
Why Mega-Prisons Holding Tens of Thousands Won’t Make a Difference
A mixture of heavy-handed government policies, a lack of funding, and corruption has led to Latin America’s prisons being overcrowded…
Ecuador Prison Quietly Released Top Albanian Cocaine Kingpin
News has emerged that Ecuadorean prison authorities quietly released one of Europe’s most notorious cocaine traffickers last year, in a…