Maras : gang violence and security in Central America / edited by Thomas Bruneau, Lucía Dammert, and Elizabeth Skinner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bruneau, Thomas C., Author.

Contributor:

Bruneau, Thomas C.

Dammert, Lucía.

Skinner, Elizabeth.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gangs--Central America--Case studies.

Gangs.

Youth--Central America--Social conditions.

Youth.

Juvenile delinquency--Social aspects--Central America.

Juvenile delinquency.

Central Americans--United States.

Central Americans.

Central America--Politics and government.

Central America.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Sensational headlines have publicized the drug trafficking, brutal violence, and other organized crime elements associated with Central America's mara gangs, but there have been few clear-eyed analyses of the history, hierarchies, and future of the mara phenomenon. The first book to look specifically at the Central American gang problem by drawing on the perspectives of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds, Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America provides much-needed insight. These essays trace the development of the gangs, from Mara Salvatrucha to the 18th Street Gang, in Los Angeles and their spread to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua as the result of members' deportation to Central America; there, they account for high homicide rates and threaten the democratic stability of the region. With expertise in areas ranging from political science to law enforcement and human rights, the contributors also explore the spread of mara violence in the United States. Their findings comprise a complete documentation that spans sexualized violence, case studies of individual gangs, economic factors, varied responses to gang violence, the use of intelligence gathering, the limits of state power, and the role of policy makers. Raising crucial questions for a wide readership, these essays are sure to spark productive international dialogues.

Contents:

Case studies

The origins of Southern California Latino gangs / Al Valdez

Street gangs of El Salvador / Sonja Wolf

Street gangs of Guatemala / Elin Cecilie Ranum

Street gangs of Honduras / Joanna Mateo

Street gangs of Nicaragua / Jos Luis Rocha (translated from the Spanish by Michael Solis)

Responses to gang violence

State power and Central American Maras : a cross-national comparison / Enrique Desmond Arias

Government responses and the dark side of gang : suppression in Central America / Jos Miguel Cruz

Elite membership and sexualized violence among Central American gangs / Mauricio Rubio (translated from the Spanish by Michael Solis)

The use of intelligence to combat Maras / Clifford Gyves

The impact of U.S. anti-gang policies in Central America : quo vadis? / Florina Cristiana Matei

Conclusion : the dilemma of fighting gangs in new democracies / Thomas Bruneau and Luca Dammert.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-292-73534-0

OCLC:

774027572