Towards a More Effective Violence Prevention Policy in Uruguay

Social Medicine. Volume 12, Number 2, May - August, 2019

Latin America is the most violent region in the world with a rate of 24.24 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. In view of this situation, different types of measures have been implemented, ranging from a purely punitive approach to the design and application of programs to prevent violence and crime with various results. On this last point we will reflect, specifically on the relevance and usefulness of such initiatives, besides presenting some key cases in the region for the understanding of the prevention approach; likewise, its scope and limitations will be presented. Introduction Violence (s) a and crime are global phenomena with different manifestations, effects, and treatments. In Latin America (LA), the world´s most violent region, a response to the increase in crime has been a strategy of prevention. We offer a critical reflection on this approach, dividing our argument into four parts. First of all, we present a panorama of violence in the region; next, we discuss the emergence of the preventative approach; subsequently, we develop key cases, with a special emphasis on three outstanding programs in the region; finally, we close with a discussion of seven challenges faced by the prevention approach.

2013

Youth violence is reaching epidemic levels in some parts of Latin America. It is also a top priority for the region’s policymakers, with growing investments in youth violence prevention and reduction. Yet the knowledge base on what works and what does not in terms of youth violence prevention is comparatively thin, and there is comparatively limited awareness of existing or planned impact studies. In order to fill this knowledge gap, this report assesses the state of the literature on youth violence impact assessments in 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Following a systematic review of published and unpublished articles and interviews with dozens of experts, just 18 studies were detected. And while most of these came from Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Jamaica, several large randomised controlled trials are planned or ongoing in selected Central American and Caribbean countries. Taken together, the report highlights opportunities and limitations in academic, advocacy an...

Revista Panamericana de Salud …, 1999

African Safety Promotion: A Journal of Injury and Violence Prevention, 2007

The traditional approach to violence in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has centered on a criminal justice perspective, where increasing law enforcement personnel and implementing strict punitive measures is seen as the solution. The results of such efforts have proven otherwise as trends in violence continue to rise in most countries of the region. Violence is receiving increasing attention due to its negative impact on the social and economic development of the region. The violence in the region has its roots in the social, political, and economic conditions in which much of the population lives. Young people, comprising 30% of the LAC population, are particularly affected by these conditions and the culture of violence that ensues. There are several current initiatives in the LAC region addressing adolescent safety and violence; most, however, are not coordinated, not based on evidence, and without systematic approaches to evaluation and monitoring. In response to recognition of this void and demand from national governments in the region, PAHO is supporting the development and implementation of violence prevention programs based on a conceptual framework that integrates youth development, gender, human rights, and social inclusion into the ecological model. This paper provides an update in the current situation of youth violence in the LAC region and offers a conceptual framework for understanding the underlying causes and consequences of violence affecting youth, and recommendations for action based on this framework. road traffic injury prevention. Geneva: WHO.

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2018

Youth violence in Latin America is an important public health problem. However, the evidence from preventive programs within the region to address this problem is limited. Identifying context-specific factors that facilitate or hinder the success of interventions is necessary to guarantee the successful implementation of new preventive strategies. We present a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies to identify factors affecting the implementation of programs to prevent youth violence in Latin America. We searched 10 electronic databases and websites of international institutions. The quality of the studies was assessed using the critical appraisal skills program checklist, while the certainty of the findings of the synthesis was assessed using the certainty of the qualitative evidence approach. We included eight papers describing five programs in Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, El Salvador, and Mexico. Most of the factors affecting the implementation of programs were aspects related to features of the programs and social/political constraints. The synthesis suggests that future programs can benefit from having a multidisciplinary and/or multisectoral approach involving different key players. At the same time, potential strategies for avoiding problems related to such active engagement should be planned via promoting effective channels for communication and supervision. The review also suggests the importance of increasing awareness and motivation toward the problem of youth violence among relevant agencies and stakeholders. While the limited volume and quality of the literature impact on the ability to draw conclusions, the results could be useful for new programs being designed and the ones seeking to be adapted from other contexts.

International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 2011

supra at note

CrimRxiv, 2024

Prisons are concerned with safety. One key piece of information is how much violence takes place in prison. This is important from a micro perspective-will this new inmate be at risk of victimization? And from a macro one too-are more resources needed in a prison to reduce the potential for violence? Yet our knowledge about the 'dark figure' of prison violence is limited by the nature of the act and our ability to research it. We use a mixed methods project in the Penitentiary Unit 4 (Uruguay) that combines: official records of prison incidents; survey data in a convenience sample of inmates (n=209); qualitative interviews with inmates, prison staff and key informants (n=33); and non-participant unstructured and structured observation. Our findings show that in two months only 12 violent incidents were officially recorded, compared to 82 incidents recorded in our observations. Of the total inmates that answered our survey (42% of the module), 60% were victimized but only 22% of victims reported to authorities. Reasons for not reporting were not wanting to break prison codes, fear of retaliation, lack of trust in the prison system and the perception of lack of punishment. Underreporting was also associated with institutional conditions related to lack of resources, irrelevance of reporting in guard role, lack of trust in the importance of reporting, poor knowledge of how to report, and 'naturalization' of violence. We finish discussing limitations of our study, and making suggestions for estimation of dark figure and policy implications.

American Journal of Psychiatry, 2003

Objective-Violence and homicide are more prevalent in Colombia, South America, than in the United States, but the role of psychosocial factors in the violent behavior of Colombian adolescents remains unclear. The objective of the study was to identify personality, familial, peer, and ecological variables associated with violence in Colombian adolescents. Method-A survey of adolescents was conducted in 1995-1996. A standard self-report measure was adapted to ensure linguistic and cultural relevance. A total of 2,837 adolescents ages 12-17 years from various self-reported ethnic groups were randomly selected from the community in three Colombian cities: Bogota, Medellin, and Barranquilla. Eighty percent of eligible adolescents agreed to participate. Data were collected concerning the adolescent's personality attributes, family characteristics, peer characteristics, and ecological/cultural factors, including the availability of illicit drugs and the prevalence of violence in the community. The dependent variable was the adolescent's self-reported frequency of violent behavior. Results-Violence directed at the adolescent and the adolescent's own drug use were both more highly correlated with the adolescent's violent behavior than were other risk factors. Significant risk factors of less importance included tolerance of deviance, peer drug use, peer deviance, and exposure to violence on television. Conclusions-The results supported a model in which violent behavior was correlated independently with a number of risk factors from several domains. The findings point to the use of specific intervention procedures for adolescents to prevent their own subsequent acts of violent behavior. Adolescents who commit violent acts have become an increasing concern to public health professionals (1,2), clinicians, policy makers, educators, and the general public (3-5). As seen in the wave of violent acts by adolescents over recent years, adolescent violence is a public health concern with far-reaching effects on families, schools, and communities. Management strategies to reduce violence by adolescents at risk are often used without the support of solid research, which includes identifying the specific and interactive effects of major risk factors for adolescent violent behavior. The majority of studies of adolescent violence have focused on the effects of child maltreatment (6-10) or drug abuse (11-19), and many are based on circumscribed groups of adolescent subjects, e.g., gang members, homeless youths, those in centers for juvenile delinquents, and those under the care of protective agencies. Few The authors thank Elizabeth Rubenstone for her helpful suggestions with several drafts of the manuscript.