Crime, Violence and Police Reform

Paul Chevigny
New York University School of Law, “Police Reform: An Overview”
Alejandro Garro
Columbia University School of Law, “Judicial Reform: Argentina”
Mark Ungar
Brooklyn College, CUNY, “Police Reform: Argentina”

Engulfed by record rates of violent crime, Argentina is struggling to reform its ineffective criminal justice systems and police forces. But severe economic constraints, political obstruction, and public panic have limited such efforts.

Prof. Garro will evaluate the functioning of the judicial system, assessing the reforms that have been enacted since the 1983 transition and the problems that continue to impede effective and independent judicial functioning. Turning to the police, Prof. Chevigny will discuss his work on police violence and police reform, comparing it to the other countries which he has investigated. Based on recent work in the four provinces that have attempted police reform, Prof. Ungar will then analyze these processes in the context of the larger crisis and in comparison with related reforms in other Latin American countries.

Paul Chevigny is a professor of law at NYU Law School and a long-time student of police problems both in the U.S. and Latin America. He discusses the Buenos Aires police in his book Edge of the Knife: Police Violence in the Americas (1995).

Alejandro M. Garro is adjunct professor of Law at Columbia University and Senior Research Scholar of the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law. He was born and educated in Argentina, where he received his law degree and practiced law. He joined Columbia Law School in 1981, where he has been teaching in the areas of comparative law, with an emphasis on various aspects of Latin American legal systems.

Mark Ungar is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College – City University of New York. His Recent publications include the books Elusive Reform: Democracy and the Rule of Law in Latin America (Lynne Rienner, 2002) and Violence and Politics: Globalization’s Paradox (Routledge, 2001), as well as articles and book chapters on democratization, policing, and judicial access. He works with Amnesty International USA and local rights groups in Latin America.

When: Wednesday, November 6 at 4:30 P.M.
Where: The Skylight Conference Room (9100)
The Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
(Between 34th and 35th St.)

To reserve please send e-mail to bildner@gc.cuny.edu or leave message at (212) 817-2096.