InSight Crime
Friday, November 14, 2014 - 06:27
The US State Department has offered a reward for information on Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, a US citizen who allegedly leads a Zetas faction in southern Mexico.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - 07:03
The massacre of eight people on a ranch in the outskirts of Cali -- Colombia's third-largest city and the second-most violent in the country -- has raised alarm over the presence of organized crime in the city, even as the city's authorities appear to disagree over the presence of armed groups there.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - 07:04
Honduras is taking aggressive steps to reform its prison system, building two modern mega-prisons and pardoning petty criminals who have already served half their sentence. But with no accompanying judicial reforms, will there be any impact in Latin America's most violent nation?
Friday, October 10, 2014 - 08:08
Authorities in Mexico have captured the legendary Juarez Cartel leader Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, alias "Viceroy," who may be best remembered for presiding over the city of Juarez during what was arguably the most incredible spike in urban violence in the country's history.
Friday, October 10, 2014 - 08:01
Guatemala's Constitutional Court (CC) has suspended the election of high court magistrates, following outcry from judicial officials over corruption in the selection process -- a positive move toward reform, but one that could still be derailed.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - 06:55
Elections for São Paulo's state government are in November, but the candidates for governor have ignored a key issue: prison overcrowding. On average, São Paulo's prisons operate with 70 percent more inmates than the system can support.
Friday, October 3, 2014 - 06:37
The evidence suggests that Peru's upcoming local elections will be strongly influenced by drug trafficking, a phenomenon with a troubling historical precedent -- but one which the authorities seem to be trying to combat.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 06:52
Thirty years ago, an alleged criminal organization called the Black Serpents -- whose existence was never proven -- was used to justify the government’s decision to halt the implementation of a more humane policy in São Paulo’s prisons.
Friday, September 26, 2014 - 07:05
Peru has announced plans to hire four special prosecutors to investigate cases of human trafficking, a crime concentrated in regions with high levels of tourism or illegal gold mining.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - 07:07
Senators in Mexico have proposed an initiative to create a law granting amnesty to imprisoned vigilantes including vigilante leader Jose Manuel Mireles, but the conditions for amnesty suggest the proposal is politically motivated.