Effectiveness and corruption in the criminal justice system of Latin America: An overview
Latin America is the most violent region in the world. Recent research on the causes of crime have concluded that institutional effectiveness and corruption appear to be relevant variables explaining variations in crime trends. However, there is scarce research that focuses on understanding how thes...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
International journal of comparative and applied criminal justice
Year: 2025, Volume: 49, Issue: 1, Pages: 81-105 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Latin America is the most violent region in the world. Recent research on the causes of crime have concluded that institutional effectiveness and corruption appear to be relevant variables explaining variations in crime trends. However, there is scarce research that focuses on understanding how these variables impact the criminal justice system and how they may affect crime. This paper aims to add to the literature by providing a theoretical framework on how effectiveness and corruption affects crime. Further, it reviews the current state of the criminal justice system in Latin America (i.e., the police, the judiciary, and the prison system) and offers a summary of how effective and corrupt these institutions are. Based on a high-level overview of primary research it is found that the criminal justice system is ineffective and suffers from high levels of corruption and, consequently, its capacity of capturing, judging and rehabilitating criminals is limited. |
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| ISSN: | 2157-6475 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/01924036.2023.2292032 |