Criminalizing Communities of Poor, Dark Women in the Caribbean: The Fight Against Crime Through Puerto Rico's Public Housing

• NCJ Number: 233338
• Journal: Crime Prevention and Community Safety Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2011 Pages: 53-73
• Author(s): Zaire Zenit Dinzey-Flores
• Date Published: February 2011
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article examines race, class, and gender presuppositions embedded in the Mano Dura Contra el Crimen (Hard Hand against Crime) policy implemented in Puerto Rico to fight crime.

Abstract

In the year 1993, Mano Dura Contra el Crimen (Hard Hand against Crime) was implemented in Puerto Rico with the purpose of fighting crime in the island. Exclusively targeting public housing projects, this policy included a range of environmental interventions. This article questions the policy's targeting mechanism by analyzing whether public housing communities in Puerto Rico were indeed presenting higher criminal activity than other sectors of the island. This article then examines the race, class, and gender profile of the public housing communities and examines how the Mano Dura policies served to solidify a profile of public housing communities that was not consistent with the real demographic profile of these communities. This article argues that the policies led to the increased stigmatization and isolation of public housing communities. (Published Abstract) Tables, figures, notes, and references