Security Policies from a Spatial Perspective: the Case of Honduras

Abstract

Public insecurity became a central issue for many Hondurans in the late 1990s, as crime, delinquency and homicide increased significantly in the isthmus. Honduras had the second highest homicide rate (35.1 per 100,000) in the region after El Salvador (50.2. per 100,000) ). This social violence triggered insecurity and fear, which was further accompanied by the overall perception that the state was unable of relieving or protecting the population. This article looks at the failed attempts of the Honduran state to stop social violence and to control youth gang expansion by focusing on the security policies Cero Tolerancia (Zero Tolerance), Mano Dura (Iron Fist) and the Ley Antimaras (Anti-Gang Law). It understands security policies as territorial strategies that attempt to reduce social violence and impose control.