This article is part of a larger study completed on the Northern Triangle of Central America. The study presented here covers the issue of gangs and intersectionality with other factors that perpetuate conditions of human exploitation, touches on possible intervention strategies, and finally criticizes the continued use of iron-fisted policies over social interventions. I use a meta-analysis approach combined with document analysis to argue that mano dura is on the horizon for Guatemala once again, as political rhetoric and congressional, judicial, and executive power interplay to answer the call to “do something” with the tried and failed heavy-handed policies of the past and of Guatemala’s neighbors. In this article, I delve into the current political maelstrom surrounding the issues of gang power, recruitment, and proliferation and how Guatemala seeks to combat this crisis, ignoring alternatives which have been tried as a means of deterring gang activities and reducing gang-related violence, deferring to mano dura policies instead. Studies support that mano dura is an ineffective and counter-productive anti-gang strategy, but indicators are pointing toward a resurgence of this brand of counter-violence as President Giammattei calls for an attack on gangs “with all the weight and rigor that the law will allow.” The consequences of such an approach will have profound implications for policymakers, social workers, human rights advocates, law enforcement and legal advocates, and other stakeholders.

本文是对中美洲北三角完成的一项大型研究的一部分。本文介绍的研究涵盖了帮派问题以及与使人类剥削条件长期存在的其他因素的交叉性问题，涉及可能的干预策略，最后批评了继续使用铁腕政策而不是社会干预。我使用荟萃分析方法结合文档分析来论证mano dura危地马拉再次出现在地平线上，因为政治言论和国会、司法和行政权力相互作用，以响应过去和危地马拉邻国的尝试和失败的严厉政策“做点什么”的号召。在本文中，我深入探讨了当前围绕帮派权力、招募和扩散问题的政治漩涡，以及危地马拉如何寻求应对这场危机，忽略了已尝试作为阻止帮派活动和减少与帮派有关的暴力的手段的替代方案，而是遵从mano dura政策。研究支持mano dura是一种无效且适得其反的反帮派策略，但随着贾马太总统呼吁“以法律允许的所有力度和严格性”打击帮派，指标表明这种反暴力品牌会死灰复燃。这种方法的后果将对政策制定者、社会工作者、人权倡导者、执法和法律倡导者以及其他利益相关者产生深远的影响。