Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgments vii
4. Introduction 1
5. Part I. Case Studies
6. 1. The Origins of Southern California Latino Gangs 23
7. 2. Street Gangs of El Salvador 43
8. 3. Street Gangs of Guatemala 71
9. 4. Street Gangs of Honduras 87
10. 5. Street Gangs of Nicaragua 105
11. Part II. Responses to Gang Violence
12. 6. State Power and Central American Maras: A Cross- national Comparison 123
13. 7. Government responses and the Dark Side of Gang Suppression in Central America 137
14. 8. Elite Membership and Sexualized Violence among Central American Gangs 159
15. 9. the Use of Intelligence to Combat Maras 181
16. 10. the Impact of U.S. Anti- gang Policies in Central America: Quo Vadis? 197
17. Conclusion: The Dilemma of Fighting Gangs in New Democracies 211
18. Notes 219
19. Glossary 259
20. List of Acronyms 261
21. Bibliography 265
22. About the Contributors 291
23. Index 297