John Walsh: ‘The fentanyl crisis encapsulates the horrors of the prohibition regime’
As illicit drug use and the some of the risks associated with it rise around the world, alternative approaches to public policy, including those that focus on harm reduction rather than criminalisation, are gaining momentum. We spoke to John Walsh about what this means and what might come next.
‘Not prisoners but students’: Inside Argentina’s in-prison universities
Waldemar Curia spent more than a decade in prison but his passion for learning motivated him to help develop a university programme behind bars and a library in his community. He now argues that education is an effective security strategy against increased proposals for more tough on crime approaches. This is his story.
The drug trade, ‘mulas’ and justice in Argentina
Maribel Rodríguez was desperate to raise enough money to pay for an operation for her daughter, so she agreed to transport a kilo of cocaine between Bolivia and Argentina. Her story, and what happened next, illustrates a shift in the way the judiciary deals with these complex cases. This story is part of a series produced by the Red Federal de Periodismo Judicial de Argentina.
Haiti’s labyrinth. International mission generates scepticism
The arrival of a new international mission has opened a new chapter in the long and complex history of Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas and, for months now, taken over by violent gangs. The Kenyan-led mission has sparked hope, scepticism and many questions about the future.
When Venezuela’s Poor Rebelled
The seed of rejection from popular sectors that oppose Nicolás Maduro’s regime grew in Petare and Catia, at both ends of the Caracas valley, as an expression of indignation and a collective reaction to the possibility of him committing electoral fraud on July 28th
Armed groups gain prominence in Venezuela
Behind the stories of abuse in Venezuela looms the role of the colectivos, paramilitary groups sympathetic to the government, and the many questions about their future.
Sergio Ortíz Borbolla: ‘There are people who wait for months in tents to cross the Darién’
The Colombian town of Necoclí is, for hundreds of thousands of people, the gateway to the Darién jungle, one of the most dangerous points on the migration route to the United States. Sergio Ortíz Borbolla, co-founder of In.Visibles, travelled to the area with a team from the Washington Office on Latin America. This is what he saw.
Pien Metaal: ‘A global consensus on drugs feels further away than ever’
While some say the “war on drugs” leads to widespread human rights violations, others claim it is the only way to combat powerful crime organisations. Meanwhile, nothing seems to be working to stop the expansion of illicit drugs, which are as popular as ever. We spoke to an expert about the present, and the future, of a complex debate.
Adam Isacson: ‘You can’t have organized crime decide how many people cross the Darien Gap’
The last decade has seen an explosion in the number of people attempting to cross the Darien Gap, as they flee poverty and violence.
Boric’s dilemma in the fight against organised crime in Chile
Homicidios a sangre fría a plena luz del día, dinámicas mafiosas, funerales narco. En poco más de una década, Chile ha pasado de ser testigo a protagonista del mapa criminal de América Latina. Pero mientras otros gobiernos de la región abordan el crimen con políticas punitivas, la administración de Gabriel Boric ensaya otras estrategias. ¿Pueden funcionar?
The Tren de Aragua behind the sexual exploitation of migrants in Latin America
Beauty contests, marketing agencies and prison visits have been some of the Tren de Aragua’s most common strategies to recruit women and girls for sexual exploitation across Latin America. A team of journalists from Colombia and Venezuela reconstructed, through intercepted audios of the mega-gang, testimonies of trafficked migrant women and statements from government officials, the way in which the crime organisation operates and its impact on vulnerable groups.
Can Sheinbaum’s security strategy in Mexico work?
Social investment, national guard and intelligence: Can Sheinbaum’s security strategy in Mexico work? Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, has broken the glass ceiling, there’s no doubt about that. What is less clear, however, is what will happen once the celebrations die down and the complex reality that her administration will have to address is laid […]
