Mexico’s struggle with organized crime has consumed much of the policy agenda in the administrations of Felipe Calderón and now, Enrique Peña Nieto. Academics and policy analysts looking beyond the battles with high-level organized crime groups have identified street gangs in Mexico as a potential looming security threat. After conducting interviews with gang experts in Mexico, I discovered that security- centric responses often exacerbate the problem. Mexico would be better served by a long-term development and human rights-oriented strategy to address the problem of youths in gangs. Indeed, at least rhetorically, the new Peña Nieto administration recognizes this and has discussed plans to apply this strategy more broadly. Whether rhetoric will become reality will depend upon the administration’s commitment to these long-term policies.
Much has been made about the real and potential nexus between gangs and higher-level organized crime groups. While some gangs have links to cartels, the majority do not. Gangs such as Barrio Logan (a U.S.-based gang with links to the Arellano Felix cartel in Tijuana) and Barrio Azteca (originally a U.S. gang from El Paso with links to the Juarez cartel) get the lion’s share of the attention because they are well known, violent and connected to cartels in overt ways. But most gangs in Mexico are low on the criminality spectrum and gang prevention would be better served through development-oriented programs, such as those that generate safe public spaces, and employment programs that include life skills components.
My research has identified the Mexican government program Todos Somos Juarez as an effective initiative that provides an overarching structure for civil society participation and cooperation in troubled Ciudad Juarez. The program should be scaled-up in other cities as rapidly as possible.
Here are ten recommendations for the Mexican government for dealing with street gangs in Mexico:
1) Emphasize development funding – At the broadest level, it is far more cost effective to prevent youths from entering gang life than to “intervene” to get them out or “suppress” hardcore violent members.
2) Institute employment training programs with life skills components – Numerous programs operating in Mexico provide youth with job training and employment opportunities that no doubt divert many from gang life. My research profiles three (Youth Work: Mexico, Cauce Ciudadano and the Circo Volador program) that appeared to employ life skills strategies effectively.
3) Initiate institutionalized police-youth dialogue forums – Historically there have been moments where police and youth have met to discuss grievances in an organized fashion to great positive effect. Unfortunately, these moments of dialogue usually follow tragedies and are not institutionalized. Regular dialogue will help to bridge the gap between youth prone to gang involvement and the state.
4) Introduce a gang education curriculum – Gang expert interviews indicated that many youths simply did not understand the consequences of gang life from the outset. Gang members themselves stated that had they known, they never would have joined. Incorporating gang education into the national curriculum would rapidly scale-up gang awareness among Mexico’s youth.
5) Conduct national surveys on gang involvement in Mexico – Problems can’t be fixed if they are unknown. National gang surveys administered annually could help the government understand and better target gang prevention resources.
6) Appropriate more funding for the study of youth gangs in Mexico – Like surveys, ethnographic work on gangs can provide a useful understanding of gang prevention strategies. Funding for a call for academic proposals on youth gang research would be a tangible way to generate a better understanding of youth gangs in Mexico.
7) Create safe public spaces – The creation of libraries and after-school programs allow safe alternatives to gang activity for young people.
8) Improve drug rehabilitation programs – Continued improvement of professional drug rehabilitation programs must be a priority if Mexico hopes to reduce the number of potential gang and organized crime recruits.
9) Create a Mexican National Gang Alliance – This group would coordinate and share information between civil society and law enforcement throughout the country to help establish a better understanding of the gang problem and establish cogent response strategies.
10) Promote gang truces and peace zones – Gang truces have apparently reduced the number of homicides in El Salvador. The next phase of gang truces involves peace zones, where gangs limit criminal activity in designated areas in exchange for programs designed to integrate them into the legitimate economy. Gang truce and peace zone concepts may be applicable to Mexico, particularly in the south where the presence of the Mara gang of Central America is strongest. There are already examples of gang truces in the north and central regions of Mexico. These policies should be continued and deepened.
For a more detailed discussion of youth in gangs in Mexico as well as policy recommendations on how to address them, see my full Woodrow Wilson Institute working paper here.
Nathan Jones is the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy at the Baker Institute. His areas of interest include U.S.-Mexico security issues, illicit networks and cross-border flows. Follow him on Twitter at @natejudejones.