{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/371874"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/371874","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Diagnosing the Increase in Homicides in Montevideo","abstract":"After many years of being remarkably flat, in 2012 the homicide rate in Montevideo (the Capital city of Uruguay) started rising. By 2018 it had almost doubled and there is nothing yet to suggest that homicides might start to reverse to their pre 2012 numbers any time soon. Though this has naturally elicited much talk and media coverage, so far no one in Uruguay has conducted an in-depth study of the phenomenon. Therefore, there is a notorious lack of evidence on the nature of the problem on which to base policies and measures to address it. This dissertation provides an elaborate diagnosis of homicides in Montevideo during both the period prior to the rise and the years that followed it, with an aim to gaining insight into the driving forces of this change. The data is analyzed by means of a variety of rather novel approaches within the field of criminology, such as network analysis, exploratory spatial data analysis and techniques developed in the context of epidemiological studies. The evidence presented suggests that the rise in homicides cannot be blamed on traditional crime patterns in the local scene (such as robbery-related, domestic or acquaintance homicides) but that there might be new developments going on in the city. Specifically, the emergence of a gang violence problem seems to be at the core of the growth of homicides, with drug distribution at the retail level being probably the main force driving gang formation and wars.","abstract_html":"After many years of being remarkably flat, in 2012 the homicide rate in Montevideo (the Capital city of Uruguay) started rising. By 2018 it had almost doubled and there is nothing yet to suggest that homicides might start to reverse to their pre 2012 numbers any time soon. Though this has naturally elicited much talk and media coverage, so far no one in Uruguay has conducted an in-depth study of the phenomenon. Therefore, there is a notorious lack of evidence on the nature of the problem on which to base policies and measures to address it. This dissertation provides an elaborate diagnosis of homicides in Montevideo during both the period prior to the rise and the years that followed it, with an aim to gaining insight into the driving forces of this change. The data is analyzed by means of a variety of rather novel approaches within the field of criminology, such as network analysis, exploratory spatial data analysis and techniques developed in the context of epidemiological studies. The evidence presented suggests that the rise in homicides cannot be blamed on traditional crime patterns in the local scene (such as robbery-related, domestic or acquaintance homicides) but that there might be new developments going on in the city. Specifically, the emergence of a gang violence problem seems to be at the core of the growth of homicides, with drug distribution at the retail level being probably the main force driving gang formation and wars.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Donnangelo Cleffi, Francisco Javier"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Sherman, Lawrence"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-04-03","date_published":"2024-04-03","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:18Z","subjects":["Drugs","Gangs","Montevideo","Violence"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/1cf30c9d-ba9d-4919-881e-145825224f5a/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.110903","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Sherman, Lawrence"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Donnangelo Cleffi, Francisco Javier"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-04-03"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/371874"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Drugs","Gangs","Montevideo","Violence"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/1cf30c9d-ba9d-4919-881e-145825224f5a/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.110903"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/97befcfe-131c-4311-8a48-044045b0a16b/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["After many years of being remarkably flat, in 2012 the homicide rate in Montevideo (the Capital city of Uruguay) started rising. By 2018 it had almost doubled and there is nothing yet to suggest that homicides might start to reverse to their pre 2012 numbers any time soon. Though this has naturally elicited much talk and media coverage, so far no one in Uruguay has conducted an in-depth study of the phenomenon. Therefore, there is a notorious lack of evidence on the nature of the problem on which to base policies and measures to address it. This dissertation provides an elaborate diagnosis of homicides in Montevideo during both the period prior to the rise and the years that followed it, with an aim to gaining insight into the driving forces of this change. The data is analyzed by means of a variety of rather novel approaches within the field of criminology, such as network analysis, exploratory spatial data analysis and techniques developed in the context of epidemiological studies. The evidence presented suggests that the rise in homicides cannot be blamed on traditional crime patterns in the local scene (such as robbery-related, domestic or acquaintance homicides) but that there might be new developments going on in the city. Specifically, the emergence of a gang violence problem seems to be at the core of the growth of homicides, with drug distribution at the retail level being probably the main force driving gang formation and wars."]},{"key":"dc:format.checksum.md5","label":"Dc Format Checksum Md5","values":["2bd662f819f21ceac2f246d7c76d4817","87eda9de84448d1f82354d60eee3eb5f"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Diagnosing the Increase in Homicides in Montevideo"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Sherman, Lawrence"],"dc:creator":["Donnangelo Cleffi, Francisco Javier"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-04-03"],"dc:description.abstract":["After many years of being remarkably flat, in 2012 the homicide rate in Montevideo (the Capital city of Uruguay) started rising. By 2018 it had almost doubled and there is nothing yet to suggest that homicides might start to reverse to their pre 2012 numbers any time soon. Though this has naturally elicited much talk and media coverage, so far no one in Uruguay has conducted an in-depth study of the phenomenon. Therefore, there is a notorious lack of evidence on the nature of the problem on which to base policies and measures to address it. This dissertation provides an elaborate diagnosis of homicides in Montevideo during both the period prior to the rise and the years that followed it, with an aim to gaining insight into the driving forces of this change. The data is analyzed by means of a variety of rather novel approaches within the field of criminology, such as network analysis, exploratory spatial data analysis and techniques developed in the context of epidemiological studies. The evidence presented suggests that the rise in homicides cannot be blamed on traditional crime patterns in the local scene (such as robbery-related, domestic or acquaintance homicides) but that there might be new developments going on in the city. Specifically, the emergence of a gang violence problem seems to be at the core of the growth of homicides, with drug distribution at the retail level being probably the main force driving gang formation and wars."],"dc:format.checksum.md5":["2bd662f819f21ceac2f246d7c76d4817","87eda9de84448d1f82354d60eee3eb5f"],"dc:identifier.doi":["https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.110903"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/97befcfe-131c-4311-8a48-044045b0a16b/download"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cambridge"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/371874"],"dc:rights":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/1cf30c9d-ba9d-4919-881e-145825224f5a/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"dc:subject":["Drugs","Gangs","Montevideo","Violence"],"dc:title":["Diagnosing the Increase in Homicides in Montevideo"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:18Z"}