Is it possible to prevent crime without focusing solely on prisons?

In working-class neighbourhoods, left-behind public spaces are never empty. The space vacated by the State is filled by crime and drug trafficking. The children are caught in the middle. We asked local residents what would be needed for children to grow up in the neighbourhood without fear. No one asked for more prisons. They asked for education, sports and recreational facilities; in other words, a club. In a club, children replace the streets for the playing field.

In working-class neighbourhoods, abandoned public spaces are never left empty. The space left by the state is filled by crime and drug trafficking. Caught in the middle are the children. We asked residents what they needed to be able to grow up in the neighbourhood without fear. No one asked for more prisons. They asked for education, sports and recreational facilities; in other words, a club. In a club, children swap the street corner for the playing field. A sports club can be a very effective security policy. Not only does it prevent kids from turning to crime, but it functions as a reference point and a place of belonging. We worked in Nuevo Alberdi Oeste for six months, conducting 169 home interviews and focus groups to discover how a club can transform a neighbourhood.

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The club: a safe space for working-class neighbourhoods

Social and sports clubs promote the organisation and institutionalisation of young people’s free time. In working-class neighbourhoods, they keep young people off the streets, prevent them from turning to crime and help them develop social and emotional sports-related skills. Clubs are a place of reference and belonging. They are a place where it is possible to rebuild community life and social ties, which drug trafficking seeks to destroy.

Over 5 million people live in working-class neighbourhoods.

In Argentina, there are currently 6,467 low-income neighbourhoods where more than 5 million people live. There, the deterioration of public spaces and the lack of social and urban infrastructure encourage crime and violence. The lack of appropriation of public space by local communities and the limited presence of the State (through its provision of public services and security) lead to the emergence of “liberated” territories. These are quickly taken over by criminal activities and organised crime.

A club for Nuevo Alberdi Oeste

This paper analyses the background of neighbourhood interventions in social crime prevention and presents the results of a qualitative-quantitative study carried out in Nuevo Alberdi Oeste, one of the neighbourhoods with the highest rates of violence in the province of Santa Fe. We surveyed the needs and demands of residents in terms of security and the provision of services and public spaces in the neighbourhood. The focus was particularly on young people, who are often recruited by organised crime networks.

Of the residents, 50 % feel unsafe and 70 % have experienced fear when walking around the neighbourhood.

Community spaces for leisure and recreation are perceived as non-existent or insufficient.

90% of those surveyed consider the presence of a club in the neighbourhood to be “very important”.

When young people are asked, they feel the need to have spaces for recreational or sporting activities within their neighbourhood.

The club broadened its impact by promoting family involvement and a positive neighbourhood identity.

Recommendations

Incorporate the social dimension into security strategies.

Incorporate residents’ demands into the design of a comprehensive security strategy.
Promote and support the development of social and community spaces to prevent crime and create opportunities, with a special focus on young people.
Prioritise sport and culture as tools for socio-urban integration.

Create an open-door social and sports club to promote the integration of young people through sport and culture.

To innovate in the working methodology of what happens within the club, taking as an example the methodology of the Valores a la Cancha programme of the River Plate Foundation.
To innovate in the club’s management model, incorporating state actors, civil society and the private sector into its design and management.

Implementation considerations

Enabling conditions

Enable an “open door” space: a club available beyond training sessions and with community participation, strategically located in the heart of the neighbourhood.
Focus activities on young people (in principle, aged 11 to 16).
Create a management team with a clear mission, vision and values. Select local residents to coordinate sports activities.
Build the club’s identity (name, colours, symbols, rituals).
Develop an innovative methodology for promoting sport and social integration, in line with the River Plate Foundation’s Valores a la Cancha programme.
Design a public-private management model that allows the club to be sustainable over time.

Possible obstacles

Lack of funding or adequate budget planning and insufficient institutional stability.
Insufficient integration with the local community.
Risk of disconnect between what is learned at the club and everyday life if there is no coordination with families.
Problems of coexistence or conflict in the neighbourhood that interfere with the club’s activities.
Low participation or commitment from key actors in the neighbourhood.

Implications for public policy

A security strategy in areas with high levels of violence and organised crime—as in the case of Rosario, but also in other parts of Argentina—requires more than just a punitive response if it is to be effective and sustainable.

In contexts of territorial segregation, responding to the high levels of violence is a commonplace in the daily lives of millions of people, and it requires the reappropriation of public space by residents and the strengthening of social infrastructure and services.

Residents of working-class neighbourhoods themselves identify socio-urban integration, particularly in the areas of education and sports/recreation, as a key factor in preventing juvenile crime in their neighbourhoods.

It is crucial to develop recreational, educational and employment opportunities and to create spaces that strengthen community ties and a sense of belonging among residents of working-class neighbourhoods.

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