From prison mafias to criminal gangs. Governance in the state of Guarico, Venezuela

This article explores the role of some state policies in consolidating criminal gangs and developing criminal governance within the context of the Guarico state. For this, the approach to criminal violence was carried out using inquiries to primary sources from the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV) expressed in rates. Then, using a press monitoring strategy, we triangulated this analysis with the information reported by ten media outlets between January and November 2022. We also reviewed the literature for a conceptual framework to illustrate the intersections between public policies and insecurity. From the proposed triangulations, it is shown that mass incarceration was crucial in the conversion of gangs into organized criminal groups. The expropriation policy dismantled the agri-food circuit and left many young people at the mercy of illicit economies. The influence of illegal mining in the hands of irregular groups, which denser the criminal habitat in Guarico, seems to be associated with the institutional phenomenon of the Orinoco Mining Arc. Strong security measures often help criminals become militarized and confront state forces.