Urban Crime in Latin America: A Case Study from Medellín, Colombia

<p>Medellín, Colombia, once among the most dangerous cities in the world has seen a sharp decrease in homicides since 2002. This thesis explores the geography of violence in Medellín from 2001 through 2005 with specific emphasis on two factors thought to have contributed to the city's drop in violence: <em>Operación Orión</em>, a police and military response to the bloodshed, and the 2003 disarmament and demobilization of the <em>Bloque Cacique Nutibara</em> paramilitary organization. A series of Paired Sample T-Tests show that <em>Operación Orión</em> and the paramilitary demobilization seem to have contributed to falling human rights abuses and homicides, respectively. Additionally, a one-way ANOVA and cluster analysis detail the changing geography of homicide from 2003-2004. The results show that homicides are distributed across social strata, throughout the city with a concentration of high homicides near the city center. The findings speak to a growing body of literature on urban crime and related issues, including the importance of infrastructure and social inclusion in urban life.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geography and Geology

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Blickenstaff, Brian Kenneth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Joby Bass
• David Cochran
• Andy Reese

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/412

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1473