Talk About Crime Among Young People in Northern Mexico: The Impact of Drug Trafficking in the Neighborhood

Ariagor Manuel Almanza Avendaño, Martha Romero-Mendoza () and Anel Hortensia Gómez San Luis
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Ariagor Manuel Almanza Avendaño: Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali 21350, Mexico
Martha Romero-Mendoza: Dirección de Investigaciones Epidemiológicas y Psicosociales, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City 14370, Mexico
Anel Hortensia Gómez San Luis: Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali 21350, Mexico

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: This study seeks to understand, through their talk about crime, the meaning that young people in northern Mexico give to the presence of drug trafficking in their communities, its interrelation with other crimes, and the psychosocial impact on their daily lives. A total of 48 group interviews were carried out with young people in junior high, high school, and universities and analyzed for thematic content using MAXQDA 20 software. The main changes pointed out by the young people were the intensification of insecurity, the expansion of drug dealing in the community, mental health problems (especially addictions), the restriction of mobility on the streets, and changes in the relationship with security institutions. They also refer to changes such as the normalization of drug trafficking and the decline of the neighborhood’s image.

Keywords: organized crime; drug trafficking; insecurity; addiction; young people; neighborhoods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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