Papers by Rafael Gude
In 2008, the Ecuadorian Government launched a policy to increase public safety as part of its “Ci... more In 2008, the Ecuadorian Government launched a policy to increase public safety as part of its “Citizens’ Revolution” (La Revolución Ciudadana). An innovative aspect of this policy was the legalization of the country’s largest street gangs. During the years 2016–2017, we conducted ethnographic research with these groups focusing on the impact of legalization as a form of social inclusion. We were guided by two research questions: (1) What changed between these groups and society? and (2) What changed within these groups? We completed field observations and sixty qualitative interviews with group members, as well as multiple formal and informal interviews with government advisors, police leaders and state actors related to the initiative. Our data show that the commitment to social citizenship had a major impact on gang-related violence and was a factor in reducing the nation’s homicide rate. The study provides an example of social control where the state is committed to policies of social inclusion while rejecting the dominant model of gang repression and social exclusion practiced throughout the Americas.
Inter-American Development Bank. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attributi... more Inter-American Development Bank. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC-IGO BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/legalcode) and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any noncommercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed.
Journal article by Rafael Gude
Accord: An International Review of Peace Initiatives, 2024
Experience over the last 20 years suggests that dialogue, negotiation and mediation with criminal... more Experience over the last 20 years suggests that dialogue, negotiation and mediation with criminal organisations can reduce crime and violence. But peacemaking with criminal organisations is fraught with challenges. the scale and nature of criminal violence generates intense trauma among its victims and widespread abhorrence of its perpetrators, and thus a reluctance to acknowledge any scope for engagement. a mixed track record has demonstrated that enabling negotiations requires legal frameworks that provide protection for mediators, assurance for the individuals and criminal organisations involved, and an agreed approach to justice. it also requires concerted political and social efforts to build consensus on the approach, promote reconciliation between criminal actors and communities, rehumanise members of these organisations as a step towards reintegrating them, and the delivery of government services that respond to the needs of affected populations.
Latin American Law Review, Aug 2021
The rise of the citizen security paradigm has complemented, rather than curtailed, authoritarian ... more The rise of the citizen security paradigm has complemented, rather than curtailed, authoritarian legacies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Notably, criminal justice and law enforcement policies continue to feed a wave of mass incarceration, evidenced in a dataset on incarceration in 21 countries for 1995-2020. El Salvador stands out as a unique case study, with the second-highest incarceration rate in the world. We analyze four key mechanisms driving mass incarceration in the country-increasing discretionary arrests, diluting due process guarantees, escalating criminalization, and harshening of sentences-, and unpack its uses and effects. Mass incarceration has criminalized transgressive identities and the poor, strengthened gangs organizationally, made gangs' criminal activity more complex, and turned them into significant actors in Salvadoran political life. These effects are hallmarks of El Salvador's notoriously failed "mano dura" strategy and pose major obstacles for desistance from crime and violence, as well as reentry after incarceration.
Edited Volume by Rafael Gude
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Papers by Rafael Gude
Journal article by Rafael Gude
Edited Volume by Rafael Gude