Questioning the crime wave: On the rise of punitive populism in central America since the 1950s

Abstract

Crime is today perceived as one of the major social problems in Central America. Following the dominant interpretation, crime emerged as a significant social problem after the end of the lost decade of the 1980s. “There is a new problem with violence, crime and insecurity in Central America, a wave of crime, which constrains us to enforce stricter laws, tougher measures of law enforcement, and civil action against criminals”, every day something like this can be read in Central American newspapers or heard in politicians' speeches. Thus, following public discourse's logic, new violence caused a new problem, which necessitates new measures, namely, different forms of mano dura. Last but not least, the state is to blame in this discursive logic because it ignored early signs and initially failed to fight crime adequately. While changes in crime and victimization rates are undeniable, changes of the phenomenon of violence and crime itself cannot exclusively explain the changes in perception and politicization. Following a historical perspective and on the basis of primary sources, the chapter argues that violence, crime, and insecurity have ever been a matter of public and political concerns in post-World War II Central America. Significant changes in the public discourse itself are crucial in the social construction of today's crime problem. © The Author(s) 2017.