Organized Crime and Insecurity in Latin America: A Regional Crisis Demanding a New Approach

At the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ 30th Anniversary Symposium, a high-level panel on crime and security brought together leading experts to examine one of the region’s most pressing and persistent challenges: the entrenchment of organized crime and the escalating crisis of violence. Moderated by Diane Davis, Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism at Harvard and Co-Chair of the Mexico Studies Program at DRCLAS, the discussion featured Natalia Garbiras-Díaz, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Harvard; Carolina Ricardo, Executive Director of Instituto Sou da Paz; Sérgio Jaramillo, President of Fundación Acordemos; and Mónica Serrano, Professor of International Relations at El Colegio de México—each offering insight into the structural conditions, political obstacles, and promising interventions shaping the region’s response.

Latin America is home to some of the highest rates of violence in the world, with homicide rates far surpassing those of OECD countries. This violence is not limited to non-state actors; both official and unofficial forces are implicated in perpetuating instability. At the heart of the crisis lies a combination of weak state capacity, widespread corruption, extreme inequality, and economic volatility. These underlying conditions have created fertile ground for sophisticated criminal networks that increasingly operate across borders and sectors—from drug and arms trafficking to illegal mining and deforestation.

Natalia Garbiras-Díaz opened the conversation with a broad diagnosis of regional trends, emphasizing that criminal organizations today are not only transnational but also deeply embedded in local socioeconomic realities. “Crime in Latin America is organized, international, and rooted in deep socioeconomic inequalities,” she said, “and it thrives in territories where the state simply doesn’t exist.” Their power is sustained by systemic poverty, limited social mobility, and the absence of state authority in many regions. She critiqued prevailing security strategies that rely on militarized crackdowns, warning that “we cannot expect to resolve structural problems of violence with short-term, militarized, national-level solutions that violate human rights.”

Building on this regional lens, Sérgio Jaramillo focused on Colombia’s evolving challenges, distinguishing between the motivations of past insurgencies and today’s organized criminal actors. “Organized crime isn’t fighting for a political cause—it fights to control territory, influence policy, and capture revenue,” he noted. “Its logic is not that of war.” He underscored how longstanding drivers of conflict—like drug prohibition, geographical fragmentation, and social inequality—continue to fuel violence. Jaramillo emphasized that “violence in Colombia is not just the problem—it is the symptom of a deeper illness tied to weak state formation.” Drawing on lessons from the FARC peace process, he spoke to the importance of reestablishing state presence through integrated government efforts. But he also sounded a stark warning: “We can no longer just talk about corruption—we are witnessing a symbiosis between criminal organizations and government structures that is devouring our institutions from within.” In this context, regional cooperation is not optional—it is essential.

Carolina Ricardo provided a sobering look at the situation in Brazil, where violent crime remains rampant and highly lethal. “In Brazil, more than 70% of homicides are committed with firearms,” she noted, “and the uncontrolled circulation of legal and illegal weapons fuels this violence.” She described how prison-based groups like the PCC and Comando Vermelho have expanded their operations into illicit economies, including illegal logging and gold mining—activities that are accelerating deforestation in the Amazon. These groups often operate with impunity, thanks in part to the infiltration of police forces by criminal interests. Ricardo criticized the predominance of punitive security policies: “Hardline security strategies lead to more deaths, more fear, and open the door to populist rhetoric that exploits citizen anxiety.” She argued instead for investments in prevention, democratic policing, and accountability tools such as body-worn cameras and de-escalation protocols.

In Mexico, Mónica Serrano noted that organized crime is responsible for an estimated 60 to 70 percent of all homicides. The situation is compounded by a fragmented federal structure, inadequate laws, and the political instrumentalization of public security. “In Mexico, drug policy and the unlimited availability of weapons from the United States have created a lethal environment that now exports violence across Latin America,” she warned. Serrano also pointed to the absence of a cohesive political response: “The lack of a basic political consensus to confront organized crime has severely weakened the state’s response.” Despite these challenges, she highlighted local successes—such as community-led policing initiatives and collaborative models in states like Coahuila—that demonstrate the potential of locally grounded, participatory approaches. She called for urgent reform to Mexico’s judicial system and a shift away from punitive drug policy.

Throughout the conversation, a shared message emerged: organized crime in Latin America is not just a security problem—it is a societal one, deeply woven into the region’s social, economic, and institutional fabric. As Davis reminded the audience, “A strong national state is no longer enough—we need to imagine new democratic territorialities to confront the transnational nature of organized crime.” As such, brute force alone is not a viable solution. Sustainable strategies must prioritize the strengthening of state institutions and judicial systems, the reform of international drug and arms policies, the expansion of regional cooperation, and the implementation of territory-specific strategies that respond to local realities.

Addressing crime and insecurity in Latin America demands a practical, multi-scalar approach—one that is inclusive, grounded in the lived experiences of communities, and attentive to both regional trends and local contexts. The panel closed with a call for greater political will, sustained investment, and a renewed commitment to long-term strategies that can rebuild trust, promote accountability, and pave the way for more just and secure societies across the region.