Firearms and Extortions in Mexico, 2012 to 2021.

The study of firearm violence in Mexico has primarily focused on homicides and trafficking. Less attention has been given to understanding how firearms affect other crimes and facilitate criminal activity beyond drug markets. By analyzing two questions, this study explores the role of firearms in extortions perpetrated in Mexico from 2012 to 2021. Questions are: What is the likelihood of reporting extortions to the police if offenders exhibited firearms? What is the likelihood of compliance with demands when offenders are armed with firearms? We obtained data from Mexico's National Crime Victimization Surveys and analyzed 2,619 extortions reported from 2012 to 2021. To explore our research questions, we ran two binary logistic regressions. Our dependent variables were dichotomous (reported to police = 1, complied with demands = 1). The independent variables were weapon types (extortions involving firearms as the reference group). We controlled for victim demographics as well as crime characteristics. Our results indicate that 40% of these extortions (n = 1,058) were perpetrated with a firearm. Fifty-two percent of extortions were perpetrated by unarmed offenders (n = 1,348) and 8% (n = 213) were perpetrated with other weapons (no firearms). Models suggest that, when compared to extortions perpetrated by unarmed offenders or those exhibiting other weapons (no firearms), victims of extortions involving firearms are less likely to report these crimes to police, mainly because of fear of reprisal. Similarly, victims are more likely to comply with demands if offenders exhibit firearms. Findings highlight the role of firearms in criminal enterprises and support the need for a comprehensive policy agenda to address firearm violence in Mexico.

Acting out as criminal impulse. History, Definitions, Forensic aspects / Sobre el pasaje al acto criminal. Historia, definiciones, aspectos forenses.

The present article aims to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing scientific literature on this human behavioral modality, impulsive and transient, which escapes the conscious control of the subject, from a psychopathological and forensic approach. To achieve this, historical points about the different nuances of the topic will be made, supplying a panoramic and critical overview of it. It can be said that these are implicit memories about past traumatic situations that, because of a present reenactment of the unpleasant event through a dissociative mechanism, generate in the individual an impulsive aggressive reaction, over which the person has no control or awareness. This type of behavior opens the debate, within the framework of Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry, about the defendants' ability, under these circumstances, to understand the criminality of the act and direct their actions, posing a controversial challenge to the criteria of different courts. Similarly, it is necessary to understand these behaviors, develop more proper prevention strategies, propose new therapeutic approaches to psychological trauma, and intervene in these criminal behaviors that endanger society's safety and well-being.

El presente artículo se propone llevar a cabo una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura científica existente sobre esta modalidad conductual humana particular, impulsiva y transitoria, que escapa al control consciente del sujeto, desde un enfoque psicopatológico y forense. Para ello, se realizarán puntualizaciones históricas de los diferentes matices de la temática, proporcionando una visión panorámica y crítica de la misma. Se puede decir que se trata de memorias implícitas acerca de situaciones traumáticas pasadas que, a raíz de una reedición presente del evento displacentero mediante un mecanismo disociativo, generan en el individuo una reacción impulsiva agresiva, sobre la cual la persona no dispone de control ni conciencia. Este tipo de comportamiento abre el debate, en el marco de la Psicología y Psiquiatría Forense, sobre la  capacidad que tienen los acusados de un crimen, de comprender la criminalidad del acto y dirigir sus acciones, presentando un desafío controversial para los tribunales de diferentes países. Así mismo, es menester poder entender estas conductas, desarrollar estrategias de prevención más adecuadas, plantear los nuevos abordajes terapéuticos frente al trauma psicológico e intervenir en estas conductas delictivas que ponen en peligro la seguridad, así como el bienestar de la sociedad.

A location discrete choice model of crime: Police elasticity and optimal deployment.

Despite the common belief that police presence reduces crime, there is mixed evidence of such causal effects in major Latin America cities. In this work we identify the casual relationship between police presence and criminal events by using a large dataset of a randomized controlled police intervention in Bogotá D.C., Colombia. We use an Instrumental Variables approach to identify the causal effect of interest. Then we consistently estimate a Conditional Logit discrete choice model with aggregate data that allow us to identify agents' utilities for crime location using Two Stage Least Squares. The estimated parameters allow us to compute the police own and cross-elasticities of crime for each of the spatial locations and to evaluate different police patrolling strategies. The elasticity of crime to police presence is, on average across spatial locations, -0.26 for violent crime, -0.38 for property crime and -0.38 for total crime, all statistically significant. Estimates of cross-elasticities are close to zero; however, spillover effects are non-negligible. Counterfactual analysis of different police deployment strategies show, for an optimal allocating algorithm, an average reduction in violent crime of 7.09%, a reduction in property crimes of 8.48% and a reduction in total crimes of 5.15% at no additional cost. These results show the potential efficiency gains of using the model to deploy police resources in the city without increasing the total police time required.

Experiências adversas na infância: um estudo com autores de agressão sexual / Experiencias infantiles adversas: un estudio con perpretadores de agresiones sexuales / Adverse childhood experiences: a study addressing the perpetrators of sexual violence

This study aimed to describe the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) of perpetrators of sexual violence of children and adolescents and their relationship with the abusers' personal and situational factors (n = 30). Hence, a database composed of the transcripts of interviews was analyzed using content analysis, from which thematic categories emerged as proposed by the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Physical abuse was the most frequently reported (70%). Sexual abuse was reported by almost half of the sample, which presented an increased risk in the face of the death and/or divorce of parents (RR = 4.21) and emotional neglect (RR = 3.2). In addition, the participants with higher ACE-Scores abused children more recurrently and less frequently consumed alcohol or other drugs. The interpretation of the results in light of the literature reinforces the hypothesis that the consequences of adversities during childhood are associated with a higher likelihood of becoming a victim throughout life and manifesting risky behaviors, such as aggressive sexual behavior. Future studies are suggested to apply the ACE-IQ to larger samples and implement a post-test to contribute to more effective interventions to treat this population.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar las Experiencias Adversas en la Infancia por parte de los perpetradores de agresión de niños y niñas y la asociación con factores personales y situacionales identificados. (n = 30). Para ello, se utilizó el instrumento de cribado del Cuestionario Internacional de Experiencias Adversas en la Infancia (ACE-IQ) para el análisis de los datos. El maltrato físico fue reportado con mayor frecuencia (70%) y el abuso sexual fue mencionado por casi la mitad de la muestra, con su riesgo aumentado ante la muerte y/o divorcio de los padres (RR = 4,21) y negligencia emocional (RR = 3.2). Participantes con ACE-Scores más altos han agredido repetidamente a sus víctimas y con menos necesidad de consumir alcohol y/o otras drogas. Los resultados muestran que las consecuencias de la exposición a la adversidad en la infancia están asociadas no solo a la probabilidad de convertirse en víctima a lo largo de la vida, sino también a caminos de transitar permeados por conductas de riesgo y criminalidad. Se sugiere que más estudios puedan aplicar el ACE-IQ a muestras más grandes, con la realización de una prueba posterior, lo que puede contribuir a intervenciones más efectivas al servicio de esta población.

Este estudo objetivou descrever Experiências Adversas na Infância (EAI) relatadas por autores de agressão sexual de crianças e adolescentes e sua relação com fatores pessoais e situacionais identificados (n = 30). Para tanto, utilizou-se um banco de dados formado por transcrições de entrevistas previamente realizadas, cuja análise de conteúdo considerou categorias temáticas retiradas do Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). O abuso físico foi o mais relatado (70%) e o abuso sexual mencionado por quase metade da amostra, tendo seu risco aumentado diante da morte e/ou separação dos pais (RR = 4.21) e negligência emocional (RR = 3.2). Participantes com maiores ACE-Scores agrediram de forma mais recorrente e com menor uso de álcool e/ou outras drogas. A interpretação dos resultados à luz da literatura da área reforça a hipótese de que as consequências da exposição à adversidade na infância estão relacionadas tanto à probabilidade de tornar-se vítima ao longo da vida quanto de vir a manifestar comportamentos de risco, como a conduta sexual agressiva. Estudos posteriores poderão aplicar o ACE-IQ diretamente e em amostras maiores, com a realização de pós-teste, o que favorecerá a promoção de intervenções mais eficazes no atendimento a essa população.

[Decrease in Mexico's life expectancy due to multiple homicides: the murder of women adjacent to the homicide of one or more men]. / Descenso en la esperanza de vida debido a los homicidios múltiples en México: homicidios de mujeres adyacentes al homicidio de uno o más hombres.

The objective is to analyze the effect of multiple homicides on male and female life expectancy and to provide empirical evidence of the temporal and spatial associations between male and female homicide rates by age group during the period 2002-2020. Using data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) and population projections from the National Population Council (CONAPO), mortality rates due to homicide from 2002-2020 were estimated for both men and women, and the adjacency of homicides of men and women was analyzed, along with the spatial proximity between multiple homicides of men and women, along with changes in life expectancy due to homicide. Individual homicides have caused the greatest decrease in life expectancy for both men and women. The negative impact of multiple homicides on both female and male life expectancy began to draw attention in 2008. By analyzing the murders of women adjacent to the homicides of one or more men questions are raised about whether these crimes are primarily the result of criminal violence, and to a lesser extent the role of gender.

El objetivo es analizar el efecto de los homicidios múltiples sobre la esperanza de vida para la población masculina y femenina y ofrecer algunas evidencias empíricas sobre la correspondencia temporal y espacial entre las tasas de homicidio de hombres y mujeres, según grupo de edad, durante el periodo 2002-2020. A partir de datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) y de las proyecciones de población del Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO), se estimaron las tasas de mortalidad por homicidios en hombres y mujeres entre 2002 y 2020, se analizó la adyacencia de homicidios de hombres y mujeres, la relación espacial entre homicidios múltiples de hombres y mujeres y los cambios en la esperanza de vida debida a homicidios. Los homicidios unipersonales han provocado la mayor pérdida de esperanza de vida de hombres y mujeres. El efecto negativo sobre la esperanza de vida femenina y masculina debida a homicidios múltiples comienza a ser visible a partir de 2008. La exploración de los homicidios de mujeres adyacentes al homicidio de uno o más hombres plantea la inquietud de si estos crímenes son un resultado preponderante de la violencia delincuencial y en menor medida por razones de género.

A scoping review of the forensic psychiatric expertise for compulsory treatment application in Brazil.

In the Brazilian penal system, a person with a mental disorder who commits an offense may be exempt from penalty if, at the time of the offense, they were entirely unable to understand the illicit character of the fact. A forensic psychiatric expert makes this determination and may also recommend to the magistrate the type of commitment to be applied. As a rule, this measure is stipulated based on the judge's sentence rather than the kind of treatment that the mental disorder requires. This difference motivates the present study that seeks to identify criteria for expertise. Additionally, this work focuses on the biopsychological method which influences the application of the measure as detailed in the expert's report. Expert reports have considerable importance in criminal proceedings and often influence determinations of the deadline for compliance and, potentially, hospitalisation. For this question, a scoping review searched for relevant literature, regardless of the study design. Of 1014 references, 27 answered the guiding question, giving rise to 10 categories with several items corresponding to the criteria for expertise. These items, although not exhaustive, demonstrated the deficient interrelationship between law and mental health due to the lack of communication and interaction between them the two. This could be addressed through interdisciplinary legislation or alteration of criminal and criminal procedural laws. Additionally, the lack of communication could be further addressed through the magistrate's interpretation of mental health laws as a new parameter for criminal law based on the human dignity principle which recognises fundamental human rights.

The effects of DNA profiles: Measuring the effectiveness of DNA banks in criminal investigations in Brazil.

Since 2013, the Brazilian National Bank of Genetic Profiles (BNPG) of the Integrated Network of Genetic Profiles Bank (RIBPG) has been used to aid investigations, identifying who committed a crime based on biological samples found at crime scenes or on victims, which may be substantial evidence in a criminal case. This research evaluates the extent to which the types of genetic profiles and the number of hits influence the number of investigations aided. The study used data from institutions of the RIBPG adopting the period from 2016 to 2020 and organized them in a stacked panel with 98 observations. A regression mediation model was built to estimate the influence of the independent variables "forensic unknown profiles," "profiles of convicted offenders," and "profiles of suspected perpetrators or legal profiles" when mediated by the "hits" variable, influence the increase of the dependent variable "investigations aided," identified as a measure of the effectiveness of the forensic DNA banks. The results showed that the 1% increase in the variables "forensic unknown profiles" and "profiles of suspected perpetrators or legal profiles," mediated by "hits," was significant to produce "investigations aided." As for the variable "profiles of convicted offenders," there was no evidence that it contributed significantly to the increase in "hits" and "investigations aided." The study demonstrated that the increase in "forensic unknown profiles" by 126 and "profiles of suspected perpetrators or legal profiles" by 14 led to 12 "hits" in the RIBPG, offering support to 4 cases. The variable "profiles of convicted offenders" did not show significant results in terms of "hits" and "investigations aided."

The fear-increasing and fear-decreasing effects of a pilot policy to reduce fear of crime.

Fear of crime has been rising persistently in Chile, even in periods where actual crime rates have decreased, making the perception of crime an important policy issue. This paper presents the results of the impact evaluation of a pilot public policy designed to reduce fear of crime around a shopping centre in Santiago, Chile. The pilot policy consisted of installing a team including police officers and local government officials that handed out information leaflets and talked to passers-by about crime prevention. Pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys were conducted in the shopping centre where the programme was implemented and in a control shopping centre nearby to identify the causal effects of the policy using a difference-in-differences empirical strategy. The results indicate that the programme was effective in reducing fear of crime around the shopping centre, especially at night among its workers, and that it reduced actual crime. However, a deeper analysis suggests that the programme might have actually increased fear of crime among the individuals who directly interacted with the programme. The reduction in crime might have indirectly resulted in an overall reduction in fear among workers, who are likely to be up to date on criminal occurrences in the area, explaining how an increase in fear in those directly contacted is consistent with an overall reduction in fear across workers.

Governamentalidade, estado miliciano e autodefesa / Governmentality, militia state and self-defense

O artigo parte do conceito de governamentalidade em Foucault para pensar uma noção de Estado na atualidade sem fronteiras rígidas e que ultrapassa a suposta dicotomia entre legal e ilegal. Para tanto, recorre-se à noção de Império, em Hardt e Negri, e reforça-se o caráter central da instituição policial. Aborda-se então a relação entre poder estatal e milícias por meio da genealogia desenvolvida por Elsa Dorlin da chamada "legítima defesa", entendida como estando na base do próprio contrato social. Por fim, aponta-se para uma noção de autodefesa que não se confunde com direito de resistência, por não se tratar de uma subjetividade proprietária lockeana, e que possui um caráter de insurreição e uma irredutível dimensão semântica-valorativa.

Older adults sex offender: Five case series in a Brazilian population.

Sexual assault perpetrated by older adults is still an underreported crime and is not fully understood. To describe a series of cases of sexual assault by Brazilian older adults and discuss the associated factors based on the literature. This is a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of five cases of older adults accused of sexual assault in the Forensic Psychiatry sector of the Medical Legal Institute (Coroner's Office) in the City of Belo Horizonte'. This review focuses on five cases involving male defendants with a mean age of 59.75 years; two with previous psychiatric treatment, and one with a previous criminal record. Their victims were prepubescent children, four of them female. Psychiatric conditions related to forensic diagnosis included dementia, schizophrenia, alcohol-related substance use disorder, paraphilia, and one without a psychiatric diagnosis. The final forensic report on all five cases found that two of the older adults diagnosed with a mental disorder in two were considered to have a mental illness that completely impaired the cognitive and volitional domains; two other adults were diagnosed with mental health disturbance that partially impaired these domains; and the last adult was diagnosed and found without mental health impairment. While the incidence of sexual crimes committed by older adults is low, the absolute number of cases has expected to rise due to population aging. Assessing the factors related to this type of crime is therefore an initial step to understanding and formulating preventive strategies.

Assessing the validity of self-report of psychopathy short-form (SRP-SF) in incarcerated offenders from Chile and Uruguay.

Psychopathy remains a relatively unexplored concept in Latin America. The abbreviated Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-SF) seems promising in this under-resourced context. However, the SRP-SF should be tested for measurement invariance to achieve meaningful comparison across countries in Latin America. Therefore the aims of this study were to examine the underlying factor structure of the SRP-SF in incarcerated adult male offenders from Uruguay (n = 331) and Chile (n = 208), to examine the measurement invariance of the SRP-SF across countries, and to assess the utility of SRP-SF to classify first time offenders from offenders with criminal history. Findings showed a good fit for the four-factor model in Uruguay, and both Chile and Uruguay showed invariance. Conversely, the Interpersonal and Affective factors were not associated with criminal history in the Uruguayan sample. Therefore, more studies are needed before using the SRP-SF as screening tool to classify first-time offenders and reoffenders in different countries in Latin America.

Why? How Perpetrators of Male-Male Homicide Explain the Crime.

This paper identifies the explanatory narratives used by perpetrators of male-male homicide in Buenos Aires (Argentina) to make sense of this crime. Drawing upon narrative criminology and masculinities theories, this study enquires into the rationalisations of perpetrators, considering their emic terms, rationalities and stories. Fieldwork was conducted between 2016 and 2020, and a convenience sample strategy was employed for participant recruitment. The analysis is based upon seventy-three narrative-biographical interviews with offenders, and field observations in prisons and homes of former convicts. The corpus was analysed following an inductive thematic coding strategy using Atlas.Ti. Eight narratives were typified, considering how men talked about agency and change, and the explanatory locus of the stories: 'rebel', 'affected', 'idiot', 'either him or me', 'repeating the story', 'gang', 'betrayed' and 'victim'. These accounts revealed two paradoxes about violence perpetration storytelling and its discursive management: men can commit a homicide and present themselves as not responsible for it and, simultaneously, they use, reconfigure and negotiate expert theories and scientific labels to explain away, excuse and justify lethal violence. This study argues that accounts are not merely neutralisation strategies, but the rationalisations of the perpetrators' experiences, and the foundation for how they relate to and inhabit penal institutions. This paper contributes to the understanding of how those explanations shape past and future actions, and how masculinities, biographical processes and violence performance are interconnected.

Decision-making under risk and theory of mind in adolescent offenders in provisional deprivation of liberty.

INTRODUCTION: Delinquent behaviors are risky behaviors that increase during puberty and reach their highest peak in late adolescence. It has been proposed that poor decision-making and theory of mind (ToM) are key cognitive processes implicated with delinquency during adolescence, affecting evaluation of risks and impairing appreciation of social norms. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear whether adolescent offenders who are subjected to provisional deprivation of liberty due to conflict with the law (adolescents in conflict with the law [ACL]) might, in fact, present a specific profile with regard to these cognitive processes. OBJECTIVES: To assess deliberative decision-making and ToM among adolescents in conflict with the law and adolescents not in conflict with the law. METHODS: The sample comprised 62 participants: ACL (n = 29) and a control group (CG) (n = 33). ToM was assessed with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and decision-making was assessed with the Columbia Card Task (CCT). Substance use, callous-unemotional traits, childhood maltreatment, and intelligence quotient (IQ) were also assessed. RESULTS: ACL had more ToM errors for negative mental states in comparison to CG, but not for error rates concerning neutral and positive mental states. With regards to decision-making, our results suggest that ACL group members did not vary their behavior based on the available information and that the risk information had an opposite effect on the number of cards chosen (risk-taking behavior) when compared to CG. CONCLUSION: These findings have important implications for development of interventions for these adolescents, suggesting that they tend to learn little from negative outcomes and have reduced capacity to process negative emotions.

Assessing Racial Disparities in Homicide Sentencing: Findings From Brazil.

Over the past four decades, hundreds of studies have examined the presence of racial disparities in criminal punishment. The bulk of this research has been conducted in the United States and a few other western democracies, with limited research assessing the presence of racial disparities in criminal sentencing for homicides in South America. Using information gathered via original data collection on homicide cases from five different capital cities in Brazil, the current study examines two criminal court outcomes: whether a defendant was convicted and the length of sentence. Findings reveal the absence of racial disparities in conviction decisions, even though Black and Brown defendants received longer sentence lengths. Supplementary analyses show racial disparities in sentence length are most pronounced when the homicide victim was White. Implications for studying court outcomes in international contexts are discussed.

Negotiating humanitarian space with criminal armed groups in urban Latin America.

Humanitarian and development agencies intervening in Latin American cities increasingly face the challenge posed by criminal armed groups (CAGs). Yet, there is a need for evidence-based comparative studies on how international agencies deal with them. Drawing on data collected in Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and Mexico, this paper presents a novel typology of humanitarian organisations' access strategies that distinguishes between different levels of interaction with CAGs. The paper shows how humanitarian agencies assess a variety of risks and balance the potential consequences of their engagement with CAGs with the need to maintain constructive and trustful relationships with the state and the community with which they work. It finds that indirect dialogue or negotiation with CAGs via community leaders who act as intermediaries might provide a low-risk alternative to direct negotiation with CAG leaders, provided that 'do no harm' and humanitarian protection considerations vis-à-vis communities and intermediaries play a central role.

The Effect of Extralegal Factors in Decision-Making About Juvenile Offenders in Chile: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

This study seeks to identify the underlying factors related to the sentencing process for juvenile justice cases in Chile. To this end, a factorial survey method or quasi-experimental vignette method was used. This method allows us to understand with greater clarity the complex cognitive process involved in judicial decision-making. The results confirm that legal factors carry the critical weight for judicial decisions, though extralegal factors also play a role. Among these, factors associated with the offender (such as drug use and school attendance) and characteristics of the judges themselves (such as judicial attitudes and their previous experience) all influenced the decision-making process. These findings allow us to provide evidence about decision-making in the Latin American contexts and add to existing evidence in order to understand the moderating effect of certain class and gender stereotypes.

Validation of the sociopolitical control scale for youth among Brazilian juvenile offenders in rehabilitation.

Empowerment theories provide the conceptual framework to understand the process of change among marginalized groups in rehabilitation. Sociopolitical control is an element of the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment (PE). The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS-Y) in a sample of institutionalized young male offenders (N = 190) and examines its relationships with well-being, perception of educational environment, self-efficacy, and drug consumption. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-dimensional structure of the SPCS-Y (leadership competence and policy control). Linear regression models indicated that consumption of drugs contribute positively to leadership competence, and policy control was explained by well-being, positive perception of educational environment, and enlisting social support. The results are consistent with previous studies from other countries and indicate that the SPCS-Y is a valid measure to assess sociopolitical control among adolescents in rehabilitation. Additionally, theoretical implications and directions for practice are discussed in the paper.

Religion and Responsibility-Taking Among Offenders in Colombia and South Africa: A Qualitative Assessment of a Faith-Based Program in Prison.

This paper examines whether religion contributes to offenders taking responsibility for crimes. Specifically, we assessed whether participation in The Prisoner's Journey (TPJ), a bible study program, increased or decreased responsibility-taking. We also examined whether religious offenders that did not participate in TPJ were likely to take responsibility for their offenses. For this study, we conducted a quasi-experiment in two Colombian and five South African prisons from 2018 to 2019, collecting data from personal interviews with a total of 73 inmates-42 TPJ participants and 31 non-participants-before and after the program. Offenders frequently offered subtle accounts of responsibility that incorporated their own agency with other factors. Highly religious offenders were equally likely to take responsibility, and in some cases participation in TPJ heightened responsibility. In sum, this paper presents evidence that religious beliefs and practice are commensurate with responsibility-taking and desistance from crime.