The breakdown of social contracts in Michoacán, Mexico: Michoacán’s continuing problem with crime, public safety, and civil unrest

Michoacán, Mexico has become a breeding ground for public corruption, drug trafficking organizations, vigilante gangs, and other large-scale criminal enterprises. U. S. Congressional research, data provided by the Drug Enforcement Agency, and responses from the Obama White House administration recognize these problems in Mexico and suggest that the rising crime epidemic in Mexico will continue to grow. The continued discovery of public corruption, accompanied by a growing violent crime rate in Michoacán, has created a backlash from its citizens. Some of these citizens have gone to extreme lengths in combating their current criminal environment, forming vigilante self-defense groups, which occasionally act more similarly to some terrorist organizations, sometimes carrying out public executions of heads of major drug trafficking organizations. Historically, similar vigilante self-defense groups have operated in Michoacán with promises to protect the people of Michoacán as the government continues to fail its citizens. However, these self-defense groups later transitioned from self-defense groups to criminal organizations and large-scale drug traffickers. In addition to the problems of vigilante self-defense groups, Mexico’s government has seen an increase in the number of criminal organizations operating within the country. The increase in criminal organization numbers is in part due to a splintering of the largest drug trafficking organizations into smaller independent groups. The splintering of large-scale drug trafficking organizations, combined with the growing number of vigilante self-defense groups, have created an environment conducive to violent “turf wars” between gangs. These turf wars affect the citizens of Michoacán more than ever before. The splintering of gangs and the subsequent turf wars have resulted in an increase in violent crimes such as homicide, vehicle theft, and business theft. The citizens of Michoacán are no longer able to trust the government after continued incidents of public corruption poor education for Michoacán’s children, and failures in public safety. These failures signify a complete breakdown of the social contracts between citizens and the government. However, research suggests that increased education to its citizens, and law enforcement actions directed towards areas where there is statistical higher crime rates may help reduce the states overall crime rate, while having a positive impact on public safety. Increased spending in these areas may help combat the current criminal environment in Michoacán.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Remy M. Wals