Violence and Police Reform in Latin America

Despite democratic transitions in Latin America, the region continues to grapple with violence and human rights abuses. The police not only fail to adequately protect citizens from crime but frequently contribute to violence themselves. They often operate beyond legal constraints, lacking accountability, leading to instances of extrajudicial killings and unjust detentions. Meanwhile, efforts to reform the police and introduce more oversight on policing practices faces challenges because citizens demand tough-on-crime policies. The research has two main goals: First, to examine the drivers of public support for tough-on-crime measures, even among affluent residents in secure neighborhoods who are less vulnerable to crime. Second, to investigate the strategies employed by business groups to exert political influence in the realm of security policy, addressing the gap in our knowledge about how economic elites engage with policymakers in this area.