Case studies -- The origins of Southern California Latino gangs / Al Valdez -- Street gangs of El Salvador / Sonja Wolf -- Street gangs of Guatemala / Elin Cecilie Ranum -- Street gangs of Honduras / Joanna Mateo -- Street gangs of Nicaragua / Jos Luis Rocha (translated from the Spanish by Michael Solis) -- Responses to gang violence -- State power and Central American Maras : a cross-national comparison / Enrique Desmond Arias -- Government responses and the dark side of gang : suppression in Central America / Jos Miguel Cruz -- Elite membership and sexualized violence among Central American gangs / Mauricio Rubio (translated from the Spanish by Michael Solis) -- The use of intelligence to combat Maras / Clifford Gyves -- The impact of U.S. anti-gang policies in Central America : quo vadis? / Florina Cristiana Matei -- Conclusion : the dilemma of fighting gangs in new democracies / Thomas Bruneau and Luca Dammert
Summary
Annotation This work looks specifically at the Central American gang problem by drawing on the perspectives of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds. These essays trace the development of the gangs, from 'Mara Salvatrucha' to 'M-18,' in Los Angeles and their spread to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua
