Are Crime and Violence Prevention Programs Working in Central America?
Guest speakers discuss the effectiveness of U.S. funded citizen security programs in Central America.
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Overview
U.S. taxpayers have been funding citizen security programs in Central America for six years. The question is whether these efforts are having an impact on the crime and violence that has shaken the region and led to unprecedented migration of unaccompanied minors to the United States.
One element of the U.S. strategy is to support crime and violence prevention programs for at-risk youth in target communities. For the first time ever, USAID has conducted extensive impact evaluations of its crime and violence prevention programs in Central America’s Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The evaluations were conducted by the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University, a leader in public opinion research throughout the hemisphere. Join us for a presentation of the findings, and a lively discussion about the results and future directions for prevention programs in the region.
To access the report click here.
Speakers
Prof. Mitch A. SeligsonFounder and Senior Advisor, Latin America Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Elizabeth J. ZechmeisterDirector, Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Mark FeiersteinAssociate Administrator, USAID Joan Serra HoffmanViolence Prevention Specialist, World Bank Roseanna AnderFounding Executive Director, University of Chicago Crime Lab Erik Esteban Escobar AlboresFounder, Youth Against Violence (Central America)
Moderator
Eric L. Olson
Associate DIrector, Latin American Program, Wilson Center
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Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
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