Skip to main content
Support

This summary was written by Christine Zaino, Program Associate, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson Center and Program Director Cynthia Arnson.  It is based on the report, Seguridad y Populismo Punitivo en América Latina: Lecciones Corroboradas, Constataciones Novedosas y Temas Emergentes, by Latin American Program consultants Carlos Basombrío and Lucía Dammert.

The full report summarizes the principal findings of a series of regional seminars held in Latin America and Washington, D.C., with the support of the Andean Development Corporation (Corporación Andina de Fomento, CAF).  These seminars engaged experts and policy makers from three sub-regions—the Southern Cone, the Andean region, and Central America—in public and private debates over what has often been framed as a debate between security and justice – whether governments should focus on punitive measures to suppress crime or prioritize the strengthening of democratic institutions and respect for human rights.  

The complete final report, together with the reports on the three regional meetings, are in Spanish and can be found here, and more resources can be found on the Latin American Program Citizen Security blog.

The summary is available for download below.

Tagged

About the Author

Carlos Basombrío Iglesias

Carlos Basombrío Iglesias

Former Global Fellow;
Columnist, Perú21
Read More

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

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