Overview

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This course is aimed at actors and public officials working in the area of citizen security in Latin American and Caribbean countries who are responsible for the design, management and evaluation of public policies for coexistence and citizen security.

Syllabus

1. Citizen security as public policy

In this module, we will look at the overall picture of crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the relevance of actions taken to prevent them. First, we will establish the extent of crime in the region by comparing international figures, the characteristics of victims and their aggressors, and levels of victimization and insecurity perception. Second, we will look at the most frequent explanations given for crime. Third, we will discuss those strategies for crime control and prevention that have achieved results, those that have failed, and those that are promising.

2. Governance and management

In this module, we will review the concepts of governability, governance, and institutionality and how they work in practice, looking at coordination mechanisms at the national and local levels, and across sectors, and considering the key principles of coordination, transversality, comprehensiveness, and focus.

3. Information and evaluation systems

In this module, we will discuss the relevance of using information for decision-making and citizen security public policy. We will discuss the different types of sources of information and the concepts of diagnostics, monitoring, and evaluation. The different types of indicators used to measure results at the different phases of program implementation will be explained. Characteristics of the different methods for evaluating citizen security programs will be described, along with their suitability and viability.

4. Prevention of youth violence and violence against women

In this module, we will explore the different concepts associated with violence prevention in vulnerable populations, detailing the various groups considered vulnerable. Specifically, we will go into depth on the theories, different approaches, and modalities for addressing and intervening to prevent violence against women and youth crime and violence. For both groups, we will discuss promising experiences and evaluation systems that are appropriate for these types of programs.

5. Police modernization

In this module, we will explore modern policing trends. Many of the characteristics of current policing organizations face a significant challenge, as the global emergence of civil society has led to fundamental changes in the nature and organization of the police. Specifically, we will address the preventive and investigative role of the police, as well as current policing trends and policing reforms in LAC.

6. Access to justice and social reintegration

This module covers international standards and institutional frameworks for access to criminal justice, focusing on vulnerable groups and promising practices in justice access, alternative conflict resolution, restorative justice, and criminal mediation. It also addresses theoretical models and frameworks for the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals, highlighting successful reintegration practices and evaluation systems, including measures of criminal recidivism.