Violent crime has emerged as a growingdevelopment challenge, affecting large segments ofsocieties, and taking a severe toll on economic development.In many high crime environments, weak institutions, fiscalconstraints, and political resistance have undermined theeffectiveness of development programs and threatened theirsustainability. The World Bank has begun to confront thischallenge. The country of Honduras is the most violent inthe world as measured by its homicide rate, which reached90.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2012. This report presentsthe findings of a study of crime dynamics and preventionpractices focused around a comparison of nine neighborhoodsin three of the most violent cities in Honduras: La Ceiba,El Progreso, and Choloma. The research revealed thatalthough the transnational drug trade, economic downturn,and political crisis have deepened the country’svulnerability, some neighborhoods have successfullyprevented crime. Drawing from extensive qualitative researchin these neighborhoods, the study identified practices thatcommunities pursue to prevent violence through collectiveresponses. It also examined the characteristics ofcommunities, societal factors, and institutional contextthat have enabled or constrained these responses. Theresearch points to measures that can be built upon, scaledup, and tested through future research and programming tostrengthen community-based crime prevention. It illustrateshow deep examination of the dynamics of insecurity - and theways communities manage it - can inform efforts to improvepublic safety in violence-prone countries.
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