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More Money, More Crime: Prosperity and Rising Crime in Latin America
While worldwide crime is declining overall, criminality in Latin America has reached unprecedented levels that have ushered in social unrest and political turmoil. Despite major political and economic gains, crime has increased in every Latin American country over the past 25 years, currently making this region the most crime-ridden and violent in the world.
Over the past two decades, Latin America has enjoyed economic growth, poverty and inequality reduction, rising consumer demand, and spreading democracy, but it also endured a dramatic outbreak of violence and property crimes. In More Money, More Crime, Marcelo Bergman argues that prosperity enhanced demand for stolen and illicit goods supplied by illegal rackets. Crime surged as weak states and outdated criminal justice systems could not meet the challenge posed by new profitably criminal enterprises. Based on large-scale data sets, including surveys from inmates and victims, Bergman analyzes the development of crime as a business in the region, and the inability-and at times complicity-of state agencies and officers to successfully contain it. While organized crime has grown, Latin American governments have lacked the social vision to promote sustainable upward mobility, and have failed to improve the technical capacities of law enforcement agencies to deter criminality. The weak
state responses have only further entrenched the influence of criminal groups making them all the more difficult to dismantle.
More Money, More Crime is a sobering study that foresees a continued rise in violence while prosperity increases unless governments develop appropriate responses to crime and promote genuine social inclusion.
Over the past two decades, Latin America has enjoyed economic growth, poverty and inequality reduction, rising consumer demand, and spreading democracy, but it also endured a dramatic outbreak of violence and property crimes. In More Money, More Crime, Marcelo Bergman argues that prosperity enhanced demand for stolen and illicit goods supplied by illegal rackets. Crime surged as weak states and outdated criminal justice systems could not meet the challenge posed by new profitably criminal enterprises. Based on large-scale data sets, including surveys from inmates and victims, Bergman analyzes the development of crime as a business in the region, and the inability-and at times complicity-of state agencies and officers to successfully contain it. While organized crime has grown, Latin American governments have lacked the social vision to promote sustainable upward mobility, and have failed to improve the technical capacities of law enforcement agencies to deter criminality. The weak
state responses have only further entrenched the influence of criminal groups making them all the more difficult to dismantle.
More Money, More Crime is a sobering study that foresees a continued rise in violence while prosperity increases unless governments develop appropriate responses to crime and promote genuine social inclusion.
408 pages, Hardcover
Published June 4, 2018
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August 16, 2020
“More Money, More Crime: Prosperity and Rising Crime in Latin America”, by Marcelo Bergman (Oxford University Press, 2018) compiles over 15 years of cutting-edge and systemic research on crime in the region, by one of Latin America’s finest minds (who also happens to be very nice). Bergman weaves every section using data from inmate surveys in 6 countries and 15 victimization surveys (directed by him), as well as other data sets. The book covers everything from trends in crime, to the spread of illegal markets, and the criminal justice system (police, courts, and prisons), and each section is informative and thought provoking. By the way, this book also includes around 80 pages of notes and references.
Bergman’s central thesis is that “poor law enforcement and the large profits from illegal activities combine to create a vicious cycle or a perverse equilibrium of high crime and an ineffective state”, and that “in Latin America, prosperity has unintentionally fueled criminality” (p. 3).
Some interesting quotes I wrote down in my notebook while I was reading this book:
*“Under high crime equilibrium, police and other agencies often cooperate with organized crime for at least three reasons: profit sharing, fear of reprisals, and sheer incapacity” (p. 180).
*“Every good strategy to fight crime builds on good information systems” (p. 220).
*“Confidence in the police is essential to cement the link between civilian and police officers, and allow policemen to better “serve and protect” (…) without trust, police departments have a hard time eliciting cooperation from their citizens, which further increases public insecurity and undermines the chance of future collaboration. Poor police performance accounts for a large share of mistrust” (p. 224).
*“Whether police departments listen to citizens and treat them fairly is often as important as preventing crime and arresting miscreants” (p. 229).
*“In democracies, criminal courts play two important roles: first, they protect individual rights by granting due process to suspects, shielding them from state abuses. Second, they evaluate cases and determine responsibilities when crimes are committed, sanctioning those who violate the law” (p. 239).
*On prisons: “It describes the failure of rehabilitation, deterrence, and incapacitation” (p. 271). “Rather than controlling crime, corrections appear to solidify crime networks” (p. 272).
*“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, states should legislate only what can be enforced. A high violent-crime equilibrium will deteriorate further if it is impossible to enforce newly enacted laws…” (p. 308).
Bergman’s central thesis is that “poor law enforcement and the large profits from illegal activities combine to create a vicious cycle or a perverse equilibrium of high crime and an ineffective state”, and that “in Latin America, prosperity has unintentionally fueled criminality” (p. 3).
Some interesting quotes I wrote down in my notebook while I was reading this book:
*“Under high crime equilibrium, police and other agencies often cooperate with organized crime for at least three reasons: profit sharing, fear of reprisals, and sheer incapacity” (p. 180).
*“Every good strategy to fight crime builds on good information systems” (p. 220).
*“Confidence in the police is essential to cement the link between civilian and police officers, and allow policemen to better “serve and protect” (…) without trust, police departments have a hard time eliciting cooperation from their citizens, which further increases public insecurity and undermines the chance of future collaboration. Poor police performance accounts for a large share of mistrust” (p. 224).
*“Whether police departments listen to citizens and treat them fairly is often as important as preventing crime and arresting miscreants” (p. 229).
*“In democracies, criminal courts play two important roles: first, they protect individual rights by granting due process to suspects, shielding them from state abuses. Second, they evaluate cases and determine responsibilities when crimes are committed, sanctioning those who violate the law” (p. 239).
*On prisons: “It describes the failure of rehabilitation, deterrence, and incapacitation” (p. 271). “Rather than controlling crime, corrections appear to solidify crime networks” (p. 272).
*“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, states should legislate only what can be enforced. A high violent-crime equilibrium will deteriorate further if it is impossible to enforce newly enacted laws…” (p. 308).
March 17, 2020
The book of Bergman is the best systemic review of crime and violence in Latin America to date. With a very detailed, selected, careful and insightful use of data comparing homicides and other crimes, Bergman makes a compelling argument of why Latin America has seen crime rising since de decade of 1980. The literature review is extensive, the data carefully shown and arguments detailed. It might have a problem of not giving enough credit to ethnographic research, but it does the fundamental with big trends of crime.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews