Anti-gang policies and gang responses in the Northern Triangle: The Evolution of the Gang Phenomenon in Central America

Abstract

During the past decade, gangs have become a powerful and violent presence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the ‘Northern Triangle’ of Central America. 1 The particular evolution of the gang phenomenon has been deeply shaped by a series of reactions and adaptations to ill-developed security policies that have been unable to tackle the underying causes of gang emergence and growth. These anti-gang policies have varied from ignoring the gangs, tough ‘mano dura’-style police interventions, to the facilitation of a truce between the main gangs.