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In our approach to understanding reality, sometimes it is forgotten the fact that human beings act exactly as other types of life do on earth. Like viruses and bacteria, crime and violence follow the same dynamics and recognizable patterns that only experts on the matter could identify. Gary Slutkin brought all of his knowledge on epidemiology from his experiences on battling cholera, tuberculosis and AIDS in Africa to apply them in Chicago during the 90’s. By isolating individuals “infected” by violence (violent offenders) from society and treating them on reconciliation and reinsertion to society, the outbreak of violence in Chicago was able to be stopped. The effectiveness of the medical approach has been demonstrated over and over again when high infectious diseases are contained and eliminated, from SARS in the 2000's to the latest outbreak of Ebola in 2014, experts were able to keep societies safe from the diseases. If we treat violence like the disease that it is, we could be looking at the end of its outbreak.

While cities, enterprises and even romantic relations have moved to and adopted information technologies as their future, policing in the majority of the hemisphere is still conducted the same way as 50 or even more years ago. Even further, criminal organizations use internet as a tool for expanding their businesses and therefore violence. However, data offered by the digital networks of society and the one police officers recollect empirically is an invaluable asset for governments looking to improve their situation of public safety. Anne Milgram introduced data analysis and statistics into New Jersey’s criminal justice system and policing strategy, resulting in a sharp decrease in violence rates. While the initial investment could be heavy for low income governments, keeping the current system without actualizations represents a much expensive option. Lack of effectiveness in the system creates unimaginable costs due to overcrowded prisons, saturated courthouses and underprepared police officers. Smart statistics are then the best rational option for governments with grave situations of violence and crime.

The fact that 99% of sexual offenders go unpunished in the United States is the most direct evidence of a system of double victimization and lack of empathy. The present system of institutions and social norms doubts and sometimes justifies cases of sexual abuse and/or misconduct, which results in low rates of reports. Jessica Ladd created a webpage that covers this mistakes, Callisto offers confidentiality and support to those who were victims of sexual offenders by representing them in front of authorities and by linking them with past victims in order to help with their psychological recuperation. Our society is in a massive debt with all those victims who were forgotten by the system and initiatives like Ladd’s are tools helping us to prevent these situations from happening in the future.

The urbanization of the world is an evident and seemingly unstoppable trend in the 21^st century societies. However, the growth of cities varies in acceleration corresponding to their geographical location: while cities on the northern hemisphere took centuries to house millions of citizens, the cities of the southern hemisphere accomplished that task in less than 50 years. Without the capabilities needed to administer such a vast quantity of demands, the governments of those cities see how their young population is lost to violence and crime. Learning how to include segregated communities into the dynamics of the cities via urban transformation, planning and culture, offers an opportunity to lower the rates of violence in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, understanding the data that the hyper-connected and intelligent cities offer is a valuable asset to governmental agencies looking for tools to create efficient and legitimate policies for crime and violence reduction.

The constant decline of Bogota's rate of homicides and violent deaths during the late 90's and the beginning of the new millennium has its roots in an unconventional practice: mimes, soccer cards, balloons and an unorthodox Mayor wearing a super-hero costume. An innovative experiment on governance shows the effectiveness of approaching the citizens in a pedagogic, familiar and enjoyable way, improving the lives of the citizens regardless of their economic capacities. Rather than approaching the problem of violence with a zero-tolerance style of policies, Bogota invented a new sort of Community policing without the need for the police. By teaching tolerance, respect of law, empathy and patience to the citizens, Bogota created an atmosphere of trust and rejection of incivilities, which led then to a reduction of violence and crime. This case sheds light and guidance to another way of approaching the problem of violence in the Americas that truly deserves to be revisited.