NCJ Number
192426
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 25 Issue: 1, 2 Dated: Spring/Fall 2001 Pages: 71-92
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Based on the best available data, this study shows a moderate increase in criminality in urban Argentina over the last 15 years, combined with a steep increase in violent and property crime during a 2-year span in the mid-1990's.
Abstract
Argentina does not have a methodologically sound system of crime-data collection. Any analysis of crime patterns must account for the severe limitations in the quality and characteristics of the data. This study used three data sources: police department reports, victimization surveys and other self-reports, and court data. The study examined the effect of changes in the composition of relative size cohorts and the significant transformation of the labor market structure. It is difficult to attribute the sudden shift in the crime rate to the slow changes in the population composition (relative size cohorts, changes in family structure, etc.). The study found that major changes in the employment structure had a strong association with the increase in criminality. The two-fold increase in unemployment among young males paralleled the two-fold increase in reported crime. In a macro-level analysis, the rise in crime was associated with the institutional demise of the state, the unprotected economic transformation (lack of "safety nets"), and the acute impact of high unemployment among juveniles; however, evidence from the accumulated research indicates that unemployment and socioeconomic status had indirect effects on delinquency. The large incorporation of women into the work force and the scarcity of jobs for youths and males have changed the traditional organization of families and communities, as well as the patterns of control and child-rearing practices. Family disruption has been a good predictor of juvenile violence and delinquency, and the data indicate that such disruption has been increasing in Argentina due to the dramatic shifts in the labor market. 3 tables, 8 figures, 13 notes, and 45 references