Is Prison The Answer? Fear Of Crime In The US, Europe And Central-South America

Highlights

This article supports my 35th appearance on the nationally syndicated Armstrong Williams show, focusing on global crime fears.

You can listen to this article on a YouTube podcast.

The fear of crime and dissatisfaction with justice systems are leading many European and Central-South American nations to adopt aggressive policing measures and increase incarceration rates.

The adoption of such measures by traditionally liberal European countries indicates a significant shift in their crime policies.

In the United States, the Department of Justice reports a 44 percent increase in violent crime according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, while Gallup indicates a persistent high level of crime-related fear among Americans.

Could the experiences of Europe and Central-South America impact U.S. crime policies?

CrimeinAmerica.Net is recognized among Chat GPT’s “Top 10 Sources for Crime in America,” based on primary statistical sources and reliable secondary analysis.

Article

I wrote an article on how crime trends to rise and fall simultaneously across different countries.

Now, it appears the fear of crime is following a similar pattern.

Globally, nations are increasingly willing to invest in aggressive policing and expanded incarceration. Fear of crime is notably rising across many European countries, resulting in a significant “perception gap” where public concern grows despite long-term declines in actual crime and homicide rates since the mid-1990s.

In Central and South America, the fear of crime is fundamentally reshaping their justice systems.

US Fear Of Crime

According to Gallup, the US recently experienced a record high in fear of crime, although these levels have since decreased. Nonetheless, a significant majority of Americans remain concerned about crime.

According to Gallup, four out of five Democrats consider crime a serious national issue.

US Crime Statistics

Most readers are aware that reported crime has decreased according to the FBI, but the USDOJ’s National Crime Victimization Survey indicates a 44 percent increase in violent crime in 2022, with levels remaining steady through 2023 and 2024 (latest report). This increase is significant because elevated victimization rates have persisted for three years instead of quickly returning to earlier levels.

Many media articles argue that Americans’ fear of crime is irrational due to the decrease in reported crime. However, growing fear is also observed in Europe and Central-South America.

The question is whether the 44 percent increase in violent crime according to the USDOJ’s National Crime Victimization Survey and high fear levels per Gallup will similarly affect justice systems in the US as it has in Europe and countries south of the border.

Europe

The Guardian reports that Western Europeans believe crime is rising in their countries despite long-term declines in overall crime rates since the mid-1990s.

A YouGov poll of Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain found most countries trust their national police, with Denmark leading, where 74% of respondents expressed a lot or some confidence in their national police.

Between 57% and 64% of respondents in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy shared this sentiment, while Britain was an outlier: only 43% expressed confidence in their national police, compared to 53% who felt little confidence.

Despite this trust, significant majorities—ranging from 53% in Denmark to 66% in the UK, 78% in France, and 80% in Italy—believe crime is rising in their countries.

When asked about violent crime, responses were similar: 52% of respondents in Denmark and 59% in Britain believed violent crime had increased, with Italy reporting 76%.

Central America

Crime trends differ significantly across Central and South America, but organized crime and violence remain pressing concerns in many countries.

There is scant evidence of declining crime in Central and South America. Driven by gangs and drug trafficking, these regions face severe crime issues. While not all countries are addressed, many face staggering levels of organized crime and violence.

Rising fear and anger have led many countries to take drastic measures. El Salvador has constructed a series of prisons, resulting in a skyrocketing incarceration rate, yet the country’s president is extremely popular for his efforts to improve safety.

El Salvador now holds the world’s highest incarceration rate. Over 70,000 people have been detained under a “state of exception,” an emergency measure granting extensive powers to police and military forces, which has been in place for two years.

Other countries are taking note.

Costa Rica is adopting El Salvador’s approach. According to Reuters, Costa Rica will begin constructing a new maximum-security prison this year, inspired by El Salvador’s mega-prison as part of their crime crackdown.

Long considered the safest nation in Central America, Costa Rica faces a surge in homicides attributed to drug gang violence. In 2023, it recorded its highest homicide rate, and polls rank insecurity as the public’s top concern, making it a central issue for the 2026 national elections.

South America

Associated Press: Crime was the primary concern for voters in Peru.

Crime, particularly extortion, remains the main concern for voters. A 2025 national survey by the state’s National Institute of Statistics and Informatics found that 84% of urban respondents feared becoming crime victims within the next 12 months.

Experts attribute the growing power of organized crime in Peru to the profits that long-standing criminal groups are earning from illegal gold mining in the Andes and the Amazon.

According to the BBC’s report on Colombia, “Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia’s presidential election, marking a dramatic shift in how the government will address the country’s internal armed conflict and violence.

De la Espriella, endorsed by Donald Trump, has promised a military crackdown on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking, and crime.

According to Reuters, “Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro relies on a hard-line crime crackdown to win over independent voters and solidify his base as he attempts to close the gap with incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of October’s election.

The senator launched a public safety plan centered on 12 priority measures, including treating Brazil’s criminal factions as terrorist organizations, which found receptive audiences in Washington last month.

“They will be hunted down with force and intelligence,” Bolsonaro stated during Thursday’s presentation in Sao Paulo. “Any armed criminal carrying a rifle will be taken down by our security forces,” he added.

According to PBS, Chileans voted for a new president and parliament on Sunday in a contest expected to favor the hard right, as candidates appeal to popular fears about organized crime and immigration.

Conclusions

People in many countries are fed up with the violence or its perception in their nations and are turning to rigorous law enforcement and strict incarceration policies to address crime.

This reliance on incarceration is not limited to countries south of the US border.

To address severe prison overcrowding, Denmark (known in criminological circles for its liberal approach to limited incarceration) is expanding its correctional capacity. The government has launched a plan to add 1,000 new prison places across the country, including a new 400-bed, high-security facility south of Viborg, largely driven by juvenile and young person crime.

Many European countries are responding to severe system overcrowding by building new prisons, expanding existing estates, or renting prison capacity in other countries to manage increasing inmate populations.

According to The Associated Press and PBS, “Organized crime expands, fueling more violence:

Latin America and the Caribbean saw their combined average homicide rate drop by more than 5% compared to 2024, with the median rate reaching about 17.6 per 100,000 people, according to InSight Crime, a think tank focused on organized crime in the Americas.

However, there are key exceptions. Drug-fueled killings have increased in Peru and Colombia, the world’s top cocaine producers, as well as in neighboring Ecuador, whose major ports traffickers see as a gateway to European markets.

Last year, authorities recorded 2,400 homicides in Peru and 14,780 in Colombia, the most in each country since at least 2020. Killings in Ecuador rose by an astonishing 31% year-over-year, reaching 9,216.

Gangs are blamed for much of the violence that began soaring in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cartels from Mexico, Colombia, and the Balkans expanded operations and hired locals, igniting deadly conflicts over drug-trafficking routes. Their territorial disputes extend to prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

The fear of crime and frustration with justice systems are driving many nations towards aggressive policing and heavy reliance on incarceration.

Yet, when traditionally liberal European nations adopt these measures, it signifies a profound shift in crime policies worldwide.