Biblioteca Digital

This paper is the first to conduct a systematic analysis in different countries of the region to identify cities where there have been improvements in crime records that allow for rigorous analysis of crime and place. The main objective is to understand recent crime concentration and hot spot dynamics in the selected cities to better inform crime prevention and reduction strategies in the region and thus promote evidence-based public safety policies. It is of particular interest to see if the patterns are comparable with those of other developed cities and thus if their policing strategies could be adopted.

Venezuela has recently experienced soaring rates of violent crime, in particular homicides; Caracas presently ranks among the cities with highest homicide rates globally. This article moves beyond established explanations and suggests an alternative approach to the problem of homicide in contemporary Venezuela. In particular, it explores political and institutional causes of violence in a polarized society under the government of Hugo Chávez (1999–2013) and his Bolivarian Revolution.