Criminal Governance, Politics of Control in Latin America and the Caribbean

Organised crime in Latin America and the Caribbean now functions as criminal governance. Robert Muggah argues that it is reshaping democracy through coercion, suppression and substitution. Political responses increasingly favour aggressive mano dura (iron fist) tactics, often backed by the US. These approaches risk weakening public security and democratic institutions. Effective solutions require rebuilding police, judicial and prison systems, while protecting local democracy and rule-based security.