Understanding Crime and Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean is Critical for Building a Healthy Anti-Fragility and Resilient Region.

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Governments in LAC have a responsibility to Address Social and Economic Determinants.

Crime and Violence are not new phenomena; they have been around for generations. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) continue to grapple with the acceleration of crime and violence in the face of challenging socioeconomic, health, climate, and technology-driven change. The cost of crime and violence¹ in the region is significantly impacting citizen security, sustainable development, social protection, and broadly the development and progress of the region retarding its ability to build anti-fragility and resilient communities. “The overall cost estimates reveal that crime costs LAC countries, on average, between 2.41 percent and 3.55 percent of their GDPs. This is equal to an amount for LAC between US$115 billion and US$170 billion (at 2014 exchange rates) or between US$175 billion and US$261 billion (adjusted for purchasing power parity)” (Jaitman & Keefer, 2017, p.6).²

Unfortunately, families, communities, and businesses in the region face the harrowing consequences of crime and violence due to the evolution of these issues, which impede the establishment of equitable, just, safe, and peaceful societies. Crime and violence are not static, linear, or homogeneous in their human expressions. They can occur within any private or public site and have different durations and intensities. Anyone can be a perpetrator or victim of a violent or non-violent crime. Crime and violence intersect with various socioeconomic and health factors, contributing to their complexity and varied societal perceptions about crime and violence. Therefore, governments in the LAC region must look at the role of social and economic determinants³ to better understand crime and violence to inform their development of strategic micro, mezzo, and macro responses to prevent, reduce, and adequately intervene when it occurs. 

Impact on Health

Socioeconomic determinants place individuals and families, especially marginalized groups, at a greater risk of exposure to crime and violence. Increased risk factors⁴ and low protective factors coupled with intergenerational instability can significantly contribute to adverse experiences with crime and violence within families, communities, and workplaces. There is a transgenerational effect of crime and violence that undergirds peoples’ decision-making, lifestyle choices, and ideologies about themselves, their communities, socioeconomic systems, and the world. More profoundly, crime and violence negatively impact people’s health and well-being and their sense of trust⁵ and security, and there are substantial socioeconomic costs attached. Crime and violence contribute to individual and collective trauma, anxiety, and fear, which is counterproductive to social protection and sustainable development. 

These issues have devastating health effects and significantly reduce the quality of life for individuals’ weakening the resiliency of communities and countries. Their manifestation contributes to physical injury, disability, and death, which negatively impact the financial, mental health, and well-being of individuals. “Specific examples of detrimental health effects from exposure to violence and crime include asthma, hypertension, cancer, stroke, and mental disorders” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d)⁶. Violence is considered a social determinant of health, and governments in the LAC region must incorporate a public health response when addressing crime and violence.

Theories as to Why People Commit Crime

Many theories or reasons as to why people commit crimes and manifest acts of violence exist; reasons can include social and physical environmental factors, unhealthy family dynamics, socioeconomic disparities, learning and educational challenges, unemployment, mental illness, substance use disorder, social and peer pressure, and impulsivity (Alliant International University, 2023) in a resource guideline titled “Why Do People Commit Crimes? (Nine Reasons)^7.”

The Cost of Crime

Individuals, communities, businesses, private and public institutions all bear the direct and indirect costs of crime and violence, which facilitates financial and social instability, increases national debt, reduces individuals’ ability to build safety nets for their families, limits community resiliency, impacts the productivity and financial viability of businesses, and reduces the capacity for countries to thrive ultimately negatively impacting how governments govern. The “economic impact of violence and conflict on the global economy…was estimated to be $14.4 trillion in constant purchasing power parity (PPP) terms” (Institute for Economics and Peace, 2021)⁸. Therefore, understanding the economic impact of crime and violence on countries’ economies, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is critical for their survival and requires financial investment to promote consistent data collection and research. 

Crime and Violence Destabilizes the Lives of Individuals and Families

Individuals who experience crime and violence may undergo several inauspicious life challenges as their lives are upended. They may experience forced domestic or international migration or incur new debt to protect themselves and their property to create a sense of safety and security. They may undergo short or long-term healthcare treatments associated with physical or psychological injuries, adding to their expenses. Individuals may experience a drastic reduction in their quality of life owing to additional financial commitments, work absenteeism, or inability to retain employment. The economic cost of crime and violence in LAC also affects the region’s GDP, informs how governments allocate funding, and can significantly affect the productivity and responses of state and private agencies. “The size of crime-related costs in LAC is similar to what those countries spend on infrastructure and is roughly equal to the share of the region’s income that goes to the poorest 30 percent of the population” (Jaitman & Jeefer, 2017, p.6)⁹.

Strategies to Consider

Prevention and Collaboration

Crime and violence are complex and can destabilize the whole of society, negatively impacting the socioeconomic, health, safety, and security of communities and contributing to the deterioration of moral and spiritual compasses that act as stabilizers to support human capital growth and the social and sustainable development of families, communities, and broader societal systems. However, the complexities of crime and violence should not justify reactive responses or inaction by governments or citizens in LAC. Governments should develop preventative, adaptable, multi-disciplinary strategies with multi-pronged approaches as part of their response to understanding the role of socioeconomic and health determinants¹⁰ to effectively address the issue of crime and violence.

Analyze and Evaluate What Exists, Build Trust, and Establish Public Policies.

Other strategies should include developing public policies to prevent and reduce crime and violence in individual countries and the region to foster a climate of safety and security. Governments in LAC should embark on programs towards increasing trust¹¹ between law enforcement officers and the public. One study found that “higher crime rates were linked with less local trust” (Garcia., et al., 2007).¹² There should be the incorporation of lean techniques to analyze existing processes, programs, and services to eliminate resource waste, reduce the cost of suboptimization, identify value stream issues to enhance their effectiveness and areas for improvement and work to establish high-quality performing systems and processes.

Invest in Research.

The study of crime and violence can provide practitioners and officials with findings to inform responses at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels within society. Findings can help inform public policies, programs, and budgetary allocations. Investing in research that drives violence prevention¹³ is beneficial on many levels for countries in LAC, and increasing research efforts is paramount to understanding the root causes, drivers, and diverse impacts of crime and violence in the region. 

Mental Health Screening, Enhancing Human Services and Educational Programs

Early and regular mental health screening can form part of public health responses to prevent and reduce crime and violence. While mental health diagnosis is not an indicator that an individual will perpetrate violence, environmental and other factors can intersect with mental illness,¹⁴ contributing to victimization or perpetration. Enhancing human services and educational programs can provide protective factors to build healthy and resilient families and communities to reduce environmental and socioeconomic factors that place people at a higher risk of exposure to crime and violence or perpetrating the same. Programs to drive spatial and economic equity can also significantly contribute to preventing and reducing crime and violence.

The Future of LAC depends on Preventing and Eradicating Crime and Violence.

Addressing crime and violence in LAC requires multiple strategies, public-private partnerships, long-term resource investment, consistent education, and leaders with the resolve to act. It requires a whole-of-society approach as everyone has a part in preventing and reducing crime and violence, with a more significant burden on elected public officials. The presence of crime and violence impedes individuals’ human rights to live in freedom and safety.

It widens gender disparity, economic and social class gaps, retards the sustainable development and socioeconomic progress of countries in the region, and hinders the ability of families to live fulfilled and resilient lives to build healthy futures and communities. It reduces the ability of businesses to thrive and develop solid economic pillars in the region, fosters public distrust of government actors, and impedes the capacity of governments to govern effectively. The future of LAC depends on preventing and ultimately eradicating crime and violence and the resolve of government officials and citizens to take strategic actions to hold individuals within families, communities, workplaces, and government agencies to account.

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References

1. Jaitman, L., & Keefer, P. (2017). The costs of crime and violence: New evidence and insights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Inter-American Development Bank. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/viewer/The-Costs-of-Crime-and-Violence-New-Evidence-and-Insights-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean.pdf ↩︎
2. Jaitman, L., & Keefer, P. (2017). The costs of crime and violence: New evidence and insights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Inter-American Development Bank. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/viewer/The-Costs-of-Crime-and-Violence-New-Evidence-and-Insights-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean.pdf ↩︎
3. Centers for Disease and Control. (2020, March 2). Risk and Protective Factors. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/riskprotectivefactors.html ↩︎
4. Washington State Department of Health. (2013, May 14). Social and economic determinants of health. https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/1500/Context-SED2013.pdf ↩︎
5. Garcia, R. Marie, Taylor, R. B., & Lawton, B. A. (2007). Impacts of violent crime and neighborhood structure on trusting your neighbors. Justice Quarterly, 24(4), 679-704. ↩︎
6. Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Crime and violence. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/crime-and-violence
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7. Alliant International University. (2023, September 21). Why do people commit crimes? (nine reasons). https://www.alliant.edu/blog/why-do-people-commit-crimes ↩︎
8. Institute for Economics and Peace. (2021, January). Economic value of peace 2021: Measuring the global economic impact of violence and conflict. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EVP-2021-web-1.pdf ↩︎
9. Jaitman, L., & Keefer, P. (2017). The costs of crime and violence: New evidence and insights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Inter-American Development Bank. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/viewer/The-Costs-of-Crime-and-Violence-New-Evidence-and-Insights-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎
10. World Health Organization (n.d.). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1 ↩︎
11. Vincent-Perez, S., & Scartascini, C. (2016, August 6). To fight crime, increase trust. Inter-American Development Bank (“IDB”). https://blogs.iadb.org/ideas-matter/en/to-fight-crime-increase-trust/ ↩︎
12. Garcia, R. Marie, Taylor, R. B., & Lawton, B. A. (2007). Impacts of violent crime and neighborhood structure on trusting your neighbors. Justice Quarterly, 24(4), 679-704 ↩︎
13. Violence Prevention Alliance and Education Development Center.  (2011, November). Why invest in violence prevention? Geneva, Switzerland, and Newton USA, VPA and EDC. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/violence-prevention-alliance-section/why_invest_in_violence.pdf?sfvrsn=7601910a_3#:~:text=From%20a%20public%20health%20and,mental%20health%2C%20and%20physical%20health ↩︎
14. American Psychological Association. (2022, July 11). Mental illness and violence: Debunking myths, addressing realities. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/04/ce-mental-illness ↩︎