The debate on militarisation of domestic security around the world is mostly normative and concep... more The debate on militarisation of domestic security around the world is mostly normative and conceptual, but there are few estimates of the direct impact of the use of military forces in public security tasks. This paper assesses the impact on local homicides of the 2019 deployment of the South African National Defence Force in police station areas in Cape Town, a measure taken to stem gang violence. It uses an interrupted time-series approach to estimate the effect by comparing murder counts in relevant precincts before and during the deployment, compared to precincts with similar murder rates and socioeconomic characteristics. Results show that there was an apparent initial reduction in the month in which the measure was taken, but the presence of the army was not associated with a significant decrease in homicides over the deployment period.
Background City-led interventions are increasingly advocated to achieve the UN's Sustainable Deve... more Background City-led interventions are increasingly advocated to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal to reduce violence for all. We used a new quantitative evaluation method to examine whether a flagship programme, called the "Pelotas Pact for Peace" (the Pacto), has been effective in reducing violence and crime in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. Methods We used synthetic control methodology to assess the effects of the Pacto from August 2017 to December 2021, and separately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes included monthly rates of homicide and property crime, and yearly rates of assault against women and school drop-out. We constructed synthetic controls (counterfactuals) based on weighted averages from a donor pool of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul. Weights were identified using pre-intervention outcome trends and confounders (sociodemographics, economics, education, health and development, and drug trafficking). Findings The Pacto led to an overall 9% reduction in homicide and 7% reduction in robbery in Pelotas. These effects were not uniform across the full post-intervention period as clear effects were only seen during the pandemic period. A 38% reduction in homicide was also specifically associated with the criminal justice strategy of Focussed Deterrence. No significant effects were found for non-violent property crimes, violence against women, and school dropout, irrespective of the post-intervention period. Interpretation City-level interventions that combine public health and criminal justice approaches could be effective in tackling violence in Brazil. Continued monitoring and evaluation efforts are increasingly needed as cities are proposed as key opportunities for reducing violence for all.
OBJETIVO Analisar o perfil sociodemográfico e as condições de saúde autorrelatadas por solicitant... more OBJETIVO Analisar o perfil sociodemográfico e as condições de saúde autorrelatadas por solicitantes de refúgio no Rio de Janeiro. MÉTODOS Estudo transversal de dados secundários, coletados de formulários de solicitação de refúgio preenchidos em 2016 e 2017, na Cáritas Arquidiocesana do Rio de Janeiro (Cáritas-RJ). Foram realizadas análises descritivas e calculadas frequências absolutas, relativas e intervalos de 95% de confiança. RESULTADOS Foram identificados formulários preenchidos por 818 solicitantes de refúgio, originários de 49 países diferentes, dos quais 126 (20,3%) eram apátridas, 510 (62,7%) do sexo masculino, 797 (97,4%) adultos, com idade média de 30,5 anos, 551 (73,5%) solteiros, 340 (44,1%) com ensino superior e 27 (4,0%) desempregados no país de origem antes da vinda para o Brasil. Entre os motivos declarados para solicitação de refúgio, destacaram-se o temor de perseguição por opinião política, violação de direitos humanos e risco de tortura. Para chegar ao Brasil, 6...
While some studies suggest that the nature of one´s interactions with the community influences on... more While some studies suggest that the nature of one´s interactions with the community influences one’s perceived risk of criminal victimization, only a few pieces of research have tested this association in Brazil. Using four previously existing Brazilian victimization surveys, we conducted logistic models to examine whether social ties and social cohesion are associated with perceived risk and fear of crime. The results showed that only in some contexts did social cohesion manifest an association with fear of crime. Specifically, two components of social cohesion may be relevant for this purpose: trusting neighbours and getting help; and the ability to distinguish neighbours from strangers in the street.
The International journal on drug policy, Nov 1, 2017
The international literature has expressed different and sometimes contrasting perspectives when ... more The international literature has expressed different and sometimes contrasting perspectives when addressing criminal involvement by crack cocaine users, highlighting psychopharmacological aspects, the cycles of craving and pressing economic need, and the interplay with overall deprivation and structural violence. The current study aims to identify variables associated with the arrest and imprisonment of regular crack cocaine users. Interviewees were recruited from open drug scenes in the city of Rio de Janeiro and Greater Metropolitan Area from September 2011 to June 2013. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted to the data. Most of the recruited crack cocaine users were male (78.2% [95%CI: 76.3-79.4]), 18-30 years old (64.7% [95%CI: 62.5-66.2]), non-white (92.9% [95%CI: 91.2-93.4]), single (68.9% [95%CI: 66.8-70.3]), and with 0-7 years of schooling (70.6% [95%CI: 68.5-71.9]). Factors independently associated with arrest were history of inpatient addiction treatment (adjOR...
Esse artigo pretendeu abordar um diagnóstico geral sobre o modo de funcionamento das Corregedoria... more Esse artigo pretendeu abordar um diagnóstico geral sobre o modo de funcionamento das Corregedorias dos órgãos de segurança pública no Brasil, entre eles: Polícias Militares, Polícias Civis, Corpos de Bombeiros Militares, Polícia Federal e Polícia Rodoviária Federal. Os dados coletados procedem fundamentalmente de um questionário eletrônico que foi enviado, no ano de 2012, a todas as corregedorias dessas instituições no país. Em geral, as corregedorias analisadas apresentam sérias limitações de infraestrutura, pessoal, capacitação e investimento, assim como não costumam produzir e divulgar informações sobre o seu próprio desempenho. Suas atividades ficam centradas, sobretudo, na repressão dos desvios dentro do modelo do contraditório penal, com pouca ênfase em ações preventivas e de controle de qualidade. Por outro lado, mesmo o investimento nas atividades correcionais é ainda modesto em termos quantitativos e qualitativos, de modo que as Corregedorias ainda não conseguem desempenhar...
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 1996
This study examines the importance of local and national identity processes in predicting the per... more This study examines the importance of local and national identity processes in predicting the perception of a threat to the local environment: pollution of British beaches defined in terms of European Union (EU) regulations concerning cleanliness. Place identity and social identity theories would predict that English people would exhibit positive discrimination when evaluating both their local and national beaches and would allow ingroup preferences to influence their estimates of beach pollution. The study involved administering questionnaires to 347 English students drawn from secondary schools in six seaside resorts (three with 'polluted' beaches, and three with 'unpolluted' beaches according to the EU criteria). It was hypothesized that degree of both local and national identification would predict variance in perceived levels of pollution independently of either the EU categorization or the physical evidence of pollution available. On the whole, results confirmed this main hypothesis: subjects who were more attached to their town or their nation tended to perceive their local and national beaches as less polluted. Traditional predictors of environmental evaluation (such as socio-demographic variables, environmental concern, use of the environment) did not play an important role in predicting beach pollution perception. Denial of physical assessments of pollution was interpreted as a strategy used to cope with the threat to place identity posed by the labelling of local beaches by a powerful outgroup (the EU). Key w o r k identity processes; environmental attitudes; place identity 'Local identity'. Indexed by a single item 'Do you feel proud of living in this town?' (seven-point scale 'not at all'-'very much': x = 3.69; SD = 1.62). 'Nationalism'. On the basis of already existing scales, 10 items (seven-point 'disagree'-'agree' scale) were used to tap beliefs in the superiority of Britain and its
... Asalto al desarrollo : violencia en América Latina (2000 ... 1999, Problemas Sociales - Latin... more ... Asalto al desarrollo : violencia en América Latina (2000 ... 1999, Problemas Sociales - Latinoamérica - Historia - Siglo XX, Política Criminológica - Latinoamérica - Historia - 1990-1999, Política Criminológica - Latinoamérica - Historia - Siglo XX, Seguridad Pública - Latinoamérica ...
A quasi-experimental evaluation, combining qualitative interviewing and synthetic control methodo... more A quasi-experimental evaluation, combining qualitative interviewing and synthetic control methodology, to examine the effects of the Pacto Pelotas pela Paz ("Pacto") on crime and violence in Pelotas, Brazil.
On this paper we reflect about the difficulties of studying violence in contexts of high incidenc... more On this paper we reflect about the difficulties of studying violence in contexts of high incidence, specifically from the Latin America perspective. First, it dwells on how violence affects the quality of primary data generated in violent contexts, both for qualitative and for quantitative research. Second, we analyze the methodological limitations of the official records produced in such contexts, discussing a few alternatives. Aside from the methodological impact, the article includes considerations on ethical and security issues, both for researchers and for studied populations.
In the last few decades, Brazilian society has had to deal with the issues of racial discriminati... more In the last few decades, Brazilian society has had to deal with the issues of racial discrimination and the role that race plays in the development of social relations. For a long time, the old myth that Brazil was a ‘racial democracy’ (Freyre, 1933) avoided the need for any deeper debate or closer scrutiny. Over time, this myth was eroded, among other things, by empirical research that revealed the existence of bias against the black population in various domains. For instance, several studies showed that blacks earn less than whites for comparable jobs — even when educational level and other variables are controlled for — and that their chances of social mobility are lower (Hasenbalg, 1979; Silva, 1985; Ribeiro, 2006).
The Police Pacification Units (UPP) started their activity in Rio de Janeiro from 2008 to decreas... more The Police Pacification Units (UPP) started their activity in Rio de Janeiro from 2008 to decrease the ostensive violence in the favelas by gangs’ drug trafficking, because of the mega-events that Rio has hosted in the last decade, including FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. Through the evaluation of the first results due to the presence of UPP in the favelas and the spatial analysis of their location in the city, the authors argue that this policing operation is favoring a model of segregation between a privileged center and an excluded periphery.
O artigo explorou a literatura disponível sobre a qualidade dos dados de homicídio, incluindo os ... more O artigo explorou a literatura disponível sobre a qualidade dos dados de homicídio, incluindo os desafios e limitações das suas fontes de informação. Além disso, tomou-se a região da América Latina e Caribe como caso para ilustrar os principais problemas em termos da consistência, cobertura, confiabilidade e validade dos dados. Nesse sentido, o trabalho elaborou um breve diagnóstico a respeito da qualidade dos dados de uma região que, desde a década de 1980, tem sido cenário de uma violência sem precedentes. A análise empírica dos dados de homicídio mostrou que América Latina e o Caribe precisam trabalhar mais para melhorar a qualidade dos seus registros. Dados válidos e confiáveis são essenciais para formular e avaliar programas e políticas públicas.
l. Introducción y objetivos''_ ela presente investigación se 'planteó el objetivo ... more l. Introducción y objetivos''_ ela presente investigación se 'planteó el objetivo inicial de estudiar la percepción de los derechos del niño en el país y los factores que determinan las posibles estrategias empleadas por los padres para defender esos de-techos. Para poder ...
The debate on militarisation of domestic security around the world is mostly normative and concep... more The debate on militarisation of domestic security around the world is mostly normative and conceptual, but there are few estimates of the direct impact of the use of military forces in public security tasks. This paper assesses the impact on local homicides of the 2019 deployment of the South African National Defence Force in police station areas in Cape Town, a measure taken to stem gang violence. It uses an interrupted time-series approach to estimate the effect by comparing murder counts in relevant precincts before and during the deployment, compared to precincts with similar murder rates and socioeconomic characteristics. Results show that there was an apparent initial reduction in the month in which the measure was taken, but the presence of the army was not associated with a significant decrease in homicides over the deployment period.
Background City-led interventions are increasingly advocated to achieve the UN's Sustainable Deve... more Background City-led interventions are increasingly advocated to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal to reduce violence for all. We used a new quantitative evaluation method to examine whether a flagship programme, called the "Pelotas Pact for Peace" (the Pacto), has been effective in reducing violence and crime in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. Methods We used synthetic control methodology to assess the effects of the Pacto from August 2017 to December 2021, and separately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes included monthly rates of homicide and property crime, and yearly rates of assault against women and school drop-out. We constructed synthetic controls (counterfactuals) based on weighted averages from a donor pool of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul. Weights were identified using pre-intervention outcome trends and confounders (sociodemographics, economics, education, health and development, and drug trafficking). Findings The Pacto led to an overall 9% reduction in homicide and 7% reduction in robbery in Pelotas. These effects were not uniform across the full post-intervention period as clear effects were only seen during the pandemic period. A 38% reduction in homicide was also specifically associated with the criminal justice strategy of Focussed Deterrence. No significant effects were found for non-violent property crimes, violence against women, and school dropout, irrespective of the post-intervention period. Interpretation City-level interventions that combine public health and criminal justice approaches could be effective in tackling violence in Brazil. Continued monitoring and evaluation efforts are increasingly needed as cities are proposed as key opportunities for reducing violence for all.
OBJETIVO Analisar o perfil sociodemográfico e as condições de saúde autorrelatadas por solicitant... more OBJETIVO Analisar o perfil sociodemográfico e as condições de saúde autorrelatadas por solicitantes de refúgio no Rio de Janeiro. MÉTODOS Estudo transversal de dados secundários, coletados de formulários de solicitação de refúgio preenchidos em 2016 e 2017, na Cáritas Arquidiocesana do Rio de Janeiro (Cáritas-RJ). Foram realizadas análises descritivas e calculadas frequências absolutas, relativas e intervalos de 95% de confiança. RESULTADOS Foram identificados formulários preenchidos por 818 solicitantes de refúgio, originários de 49 países diferentes, dos quais 126 (20,3%) eram apátridas, 510 (62,7%) do sexo masculino, 797 (97,4%) adultos, com idade média de 30,5 anos, 551 (73,5%) solteiros, 340 (44,1%) com ensino superior e 27 (4,0%) desempregados no país de origem antes da vinda para o Brasil. Entre os motivos declarados para solicitação de refúgio, destacaram-se o temor de perseguição por opinião política, violação de direitos humanos e risco de tortura. Para chegar ao Brasil, 6...
While some studies suggest that the nature of one´s interactions with the community influences on... more While some studies suggest that the nature of one´s interactions with the community influences one’s perceived risk of criminal victimization, only a few pieces of research have tested this association in Brazil. Using four previously existing Brazilian victimization surveys, we conducted logistic models to examine whether social ties and social cohesion are associated with perceived risk and fear of crime. The results showed that only in some contexts did social cohesion manifest an association with fear of crime. Specifically, two components of social cohesion may be relevant for this purpose: trusting neighbours and getting help; and the ability to distinguish neighbours from strangers in the street.
The International journal on drug policy, Nov 1, 2017
The international literature has expressed different and sometimes contrasting perspectives when ... more The international literature has expressed different and sometimes contrasting perspectives when addressing criminal involvement by crack cocaine users, highlighting psychopharmacological aspects, the cycles of craving and pressing economic need, and the interplay with overall deprivation and structural violence. The current study aims to identify variables associated with the arrest and imprisonment of regular crack cocaine users. Interviewees were recruited from open drug scenes in the city of Rio de Janeiro and Greater Metropolitan Area from September 2011 to June 2013. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted to the data. Most of the recruited crack cocaine users were male (78.2% [95%CI: 76.3-79.4]), 18-30 years old (64.7% [95%CI: 62.5-66.2]), non-white (92.9% [95%CI: 91.2-93.4]), single (68.9% [95%CI: 66.8-70.3]), and with 0-7 years of schooling (70.6% [95%CI: 68.5-71.9]). Factors independently associated with arrest were history of inpatient addiction treatment (adjOR...
Esse artigo pretendeu abordar um diagnóstico geral sobre o modo de funcionamento das Corregedoria... more Esse artigo pretendeu abordar um diagnóstico geral sobre o modo de funcionamento das Corregedorias dos órgãos de segurança pública no Brasil, entre eles: Polícias Militares, Polícias Civis, Corpos de Bombeiros Militares, Polícia Federal e Polícia Rodoviária Federal. Os dados coletados procedem fundamentalmente de um questionário eletrônico que foi enviado, no ano de 2012, a todas as corregedorias dessas instituições no país. Em geral, as corregedorias analisadas apresentam sérias limitações de infraestrutura, pessoal, capacitação e investimento, assim como não costumam produzir e divulgar informações sobre o seu próprio desempenho. Suas atividades ficam centradas, sobretudo, na repressão dos desvios dentro do modelo do contraditório penal, com pouca ênfase em ações preventivas e de controle de qualidade. Por outro lado, mesmo o investimento nas atividades correcionais é ainda modesto em termos quantitativos e qualitativos, de modo que as Corregedorias ainda não conseguem desempenhar...
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 1996
This study examines the importance of local and national identity processes in predicting the per... more This study examines the importance of local and national identity processes in predicting the perception of a threat to the local environment: pollution of British beaches defined in terms of European Union (EU) regulations concerning cleanliness. Place identity and social identity theories would predict that English people would exhibit positive discrimination when evaluating both their local and national beaches and would allow ingroup preferences to influence their estimates of beach pollution. The study involved administering questionnaires to 347 English students drawn from secondary schools in six seaside resorts (three with 'polluted' beaches, and three with 'unpolluted' beaches according to the EU criteria). It was hypothesized that degree of both local and national identification would predict variance in perceived levels of pollution independently of either the EU categorization or the physical evidence of pollution available. On the whole, results confirmed this main hypothesis: subjects who were more attached to their town or their nation tended to perceive their local and national beaches as less polluted. Traditional predictors of environmental evaluation (such as socio-demographic variables, environmental concern, use of the environment) did not play an important role in predicting beach pollution perception. Denial of physical assessments of pollution was interpreted as a strategy used to cope with the threat to place identity posed by the labelling of local beaches by a powerful outgroup (the EU). Key w o r k identity processes; environmental attitudes; place identity 'Local identity'. Indexed by a single item 'Do you feel proud of living in this town?' (seven-point scale 'not at all'-'very much': x = 3.69; SD = 1.62). 'Nationalism'. On the basis of already existing scales, 10 items (seven-point 'disagree'-'agree' scale) were used to tap beliefs in the superiority of Britain and its
... Asalto al desarrollo : violencia en América Latina (2000 ... 1999, Problemas Sociales - Latin... more ... Asalto al desarrollo : violencia en América Latina (2000 ... 1999, Problemas Sociales - Latinoamérica - Historia - Siglo XX, Política Criminológica - Latinoamérica - Historia - 1990-1999, Política Criminológica - Latinoamérica - Historia - Siglo XX, Seguridad Pública - Latinoamérica ...
A quasi-experimental evaluation, combining qualitative interviewing and synthetic control methodo... more A quasi-experimental evaluation, combining qualitative interviewing and synthetic control methodology, to examine the effects of the Pacto Pelotas pela Paz ("Pacto") on crime and violence in Pelotas, Brazil.
On this paper we reflect about the difficulties of studying violence in contexts of high incidenc... more On this paper we reflect about the difficulties of studying violence in contexts of high incidence, specifically from the Latin America perspective. First, it dwells on how violence affects the quality of primary data generated in violent contexts, both for qualitative and for quantitative research. Second, we analyze the methodological limitations of the official records produced in such contexts, discussing a few alternatives. Aside from the methodological impact, the article includes considerations on ethical and security issues, both for researchers and for studied populations.
In the last few decades, Brazilian society has had to deal with the issues of racial discriminati... more In the last few decades, Brazilian society has had to deal with the issues of racial discrimination and the role that race plays in the development of social relations. For a long time, the old myth that Brazil was a ‘racial democracy’ (Freyre, 1933) avoided the need for any deeper debate or closer scrutiny. Over time, this myth was eroded, among other things, by empirical research that revealed the existence of bias against the black population in various domains. For instance, several studies showed that blacks earn less than whites for comparable jobs — even when educational level and other variables are controlled for — and that their chances of social mobility are lower (Hasenbalg, 1979; Silva, 1985; Ribeiro, 2006).
The Police Pacification Units (UPP) started their activity in Rio de Janeiro from 2008 to decreas... more The Police Pacification Units (UPP) started their activity in Rio de Janeiro from 2008 to decrease the ostensive violence in the favelas by gangs’ drug trafficking, because of the mega-events that Rio has hosted in the last decade, including FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. Through the evaluation of the first results due to the presence of UPP in the favelas and the spatial analysis of their location in the city, the authors argue that this policing operation is favoring a model of segregation between a privileged center and an excluded periphery.
O artigo explorou a literatura disponível sobre a qualidade dos dados de homicídio, incluindo os ... more O artigo explorou a literatura disponível sobre a qualidade dos dados de homicídio, incluindo os desafios e limitações das suas fontes de informação. Além disso, tomou-se a região da América Latina e Caribe como caso para ilustrar os principais problemas em termos da consistência, cobertura, confiabilidade e validade dos dados. Nesse sentido, o trabalho elaborou um breve diagnóstico a respeito da qualidade dos dados de uma região que, desde a década de 1980, tem sido cenário de uma violência sem precedentes. A análise empírica dos dados de homicídio mostrou que América Latina e o Caribe precisam trabalhar mais para melhorar a qualidade dos seus registros. Dados válidos e confiáveis são essenciais para formular e avaliar programas e políticas públicas.
l. Introducción y objetivos''_ ela presente investigación se 'planteó el objetivo ... more l. Introducción y objetivos''_ ela presente investigación se 'planteó el objetivo inicial de estudiar la percepción de los derechos del niño en el país y los factores que determinan las posibles estrategias empleadas por los padres para defender esos de-techos. Para poder ...
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