Abstract

Why argentinean citizens express higher levels of fear of crime despite relatively lower levels of crime rates and victimization than other Latin American countries? We argue that to fully explain fear of crime, one must also examine the institutions in charge of fighting crime. To understand why Argentines report such high levels of public insecurity, two variables are of crucial importance: public trust in police and experiences with corruption. Control institutions such as the police, rather than symbolizing law and order, are infamous for their corrupt practices, use of illegal violence, lack of training, and a subculture of violence. However, while police performance and fear of crime have received extensive media attention, scholars have virtually ignored these issues. There is a lack of clear empirical as well as theoretical analysis to tie public fear of crime to the variables of corruption and distrust in the police. Thus, this paper aims to address these empirical and theoretical shortcomings by examining the impact of corruption and trust in police on fear of crime. This study has also important ramifications for democracy in Latin American, as crime is increasingly becoming central to the definition of democratic consolidation and governability throughout the region, especially in Argentina.