The ‘blue leviathan’: Perceptions of youth on police violence and impunity in Argentina

Nikolaos Stamatakis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

There have been complaints against the Argentinian police for decades (CELS, 2013, 2015). The Argentinian police (either federal, national, prefectural or military) have been characterised as the ‘blue leviathan’ (Saín, 2008), being responsible for gross human rights violations and excessive violence committed against civilians. The present article focuses on youth, aiming to explore their perceptions regarding police violence and impunity based on past negative experiences in one of the most affected areas in the metropolitan region of Buenos Aires, the Mitre neighbourhood. The quantitative data gathered for this study furthers the discussion on institutional legitimacy and the mutual relationship between the development of confidence, obedience in law and procedural justice, in Argentina and beyond.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)318-347
Number of pages30
JournalPolice Journal
Volume90
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Argentina
  • impunity
  • legitimacy
  • police
  • violence
  • Youth

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The ‘blue leviathan’: Perceptions of youth on police violence and impunity in Argentina'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this