Murder In Juarez: Theoretical Analysis

Violent crimes happen every day in America, yet the full scope of why and how they happen are not understood by many outside of law enforcement. But within the ranks of law enforcement and the criminal justice system itself, violent crimes are examined and analyzed at length to determine both how and why the incident occurred, as well as what can be done in the future to prevent a similar event from reoccurring. Investigators use multiple methods and seek various explanations as to why a violent crime occurs. This literature will look at some of those things that investigators try to sort out in the aftermath of a violent crime, such as the killer’s modus operandi and signatures, his psychology, relation to his victims, and how the effect of gender, race, or culture might impact his violent behavior.

Employing Mexicans for such minimal wages implies a peculiar kind of a 20th century imperialism: GM is able to extract enormous profits and to become the world’s largest corporation by super-exploiting labor in a country less well developed and economically influenced by the USA.

Aguirre Ochoa, J. I., & Barbosa Muñoz, P. (2013). Violent subcultures and crime in Mexico. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in The Social Sciences, 5(3), 551-572.

This paper will attempt to prove the relationship between homicide and the varying theories of Criminology which attempt to explain it. It will provide an introduction that will detail the legal definition of homicide, statistics related to its occurrence, evident behavioral patterns behind homicide in the United States, as well as a description of theories that may best describe the reasons for the occurrence of homicide. It will provide public policy prescriptions to attempt to lower the incidence of homicide in the United States before concluding.

Globalization: a process of interaction between the social, economic and political systems of different nations, a process powered by international trade and investment. Some assert that globalization encourages the spread of more “enlightened and egalitarian” Western values and international tolerance, while others believe that this phenomenon harms more than it helps and fosters an uncontrolled and abusive economic environment. There is no shortage of opinions on the matter, though one sure point of fact is that globalization affects all aspects of modern life, including the murky world of gendered violence. Between the signing of NAFTA in 1992 and the middle of 2002, just shy of three hundred blue-collar female factory workers were murdered in the border town of Juarez, Mexico. However, these numbers are simply the tip of the iceberg when compared to the four-hundred-and-fifty additional disappearances during that decade, a grand total that is only increasing with each passing year. In short, these murders eventually sparked international intrigue and distress, forcing the world to take a closer look at some of the uglier consequences of globalization. Essentially, the femicides of Juarez are simply a symptom of a patriarchal society unconcerned with the lives of its workforce, a culture that values products more than the people who produce them: the overlapping timelines of the Juarez

“I do not demand equal pay for any women save those who do equal work in value. Scorn to be coddled by your employers; make them understand that you are in their service as workers, not as women.” (Susan B. Anthony) Susan B. Anthony said this over a hundred years ago, when the woman’s suffrage movement was just beginning in the United States. Even after all this time, the gender wage gap is a still hot topic in the United States today. Popular stars and politicians including Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lawrence, and Hillary Clinton all have something to say about it. There is even a section of thewhitehouse.gov dedicated to discussing the gender wage gap which is the comparison of women 's wages to men’s wages in the United States (“Equal Pay”). It is pretty common knowledge in the United States that women make 78 cents to a man’s dollar. However, it is not common knowledge that this is only comparing white women to white men (“The Simple Truth”). Women of color make even less than that, Latinas making the least, only 54 cents to a white man’s dollar. The Latina wage gap is largely ignored by the media because of the complicated politics of racial and gender based discrimination.

On one perspective, the Maquiladoras compete with Americans for these jobs. Capitalists want the Maquiladoras because they are cheaper labor than the American workers. The capitalists also would have more regulations on labor and would have more taxes if they used the American workers.

The first elements Zuloaga points out is that “the protection of the Mexican cultural industry never came up”. (Zuolaga,2001) Indeed, the NAFTA agreements made between major world powers, it is expected that many will question the validity of these agreements on an equality scale for Mexico, known as a weak country on many levels.

In general those who live in Ciudad Juarez know about the recurring murders over the past decade involving women. Despite of that there are still millions that are oblivious to this occurring or choose to ignore it. It also gets less talked about comparing to other issues occurring around the world. Those who choose to talk about the subject eventually give up because they saw no immediate results or any progress at all. As stated before some chose to ignore the issue because they felt it was the easy way out and had fear of their own lives as well. Especially, the residents of Ciudad Juarez were in fear to speak of it because they felt they would put their lives endangered. However, to truly understand the severity and seriousness of this subject like many other issues you need to have some idea of how and why it started and the history or facts surrounding the issue. That is why the main focus is finding the factors that may have contributed to the recurring murders of women in Ciudad Juarez. Moreover, the effects of the murders on the victim families, the public in general, and the city. Also finding if there were any motives behind the murders of the women. Lastly, finding if there are any solutions for the murders to come to an end, any way to deter people from doing it, and has there been something done in the past decade to tackle the murders from happening again.

The article, “Displaced People: NAFTA’s Most Important Product”, written by David Bacon for North American Congress on Latin America, discusses how economic crises have caused Mexicans to be displaced. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has caused the price of crops in Mexico to lower so much that there are no economic benefits from planting them. There are around 500,000 indigenous Mexicans from the state of Oaxaca now living in the United States as farmworkers. The article states that between 2000 and 2005, the countryside in Mexico has lost a million and a half jobs. This causes indigenous Mexicans who relied on planting crops to make money to migrate to the United States. Families that cannot migrate to the United States and are now jobless will go hungry as they search for buyers to buy the crops they grow. While the crops they grow continue to lose money value, the price of the food that they need to survive keeps increasing. After Mexico adopted NAFTA, the price of tortillas has more than doubled and companies continue to monopolize tortilla production. Poor Mexicans are left with no ability to make money and

“Usually death row is called the last mile, we called ours the green mile” (Darabont, 1999). That is how the story of Paul Edgecomb and John Coffey begins in the film The Green Mile. Paul Edgecomb is a prison guard on death row. While on duty, they bring in a new prisoner John Coffey. Mr. Coffey has been sent to the green mile for the murder of two young girls. However, throughout the film, Mr. Coffey seems to be nothing but calm and helpful in any necessary situation. This is noticed by Mr. Edgecomb, who witnessed the miracles John could perform first hand. Mr. Coffey was able to heal sicknesses and this made Mr. Edgecomb wonder how a person who was given this gift could kill two people. Mr. Coffey, much like the other prisoners on the green mile, faced the ultimate punishment but not before he proved his innocence. He showed Mr. Edgecomb and the

As a major contributor to the global economy, Mexico’s sweatshops have contributed to the United States’ wealth and economic growth. It is the unfortunate truth that many individual workers have suffered as a result of this prosperity. The sweatshops, known as maquiladoras, are in debate because of the ethical and lawful reasoning behind their existence and conditions. How can we, as a First-world nation, allow such industries to exist where people are denied basic and fundamental human rights? What, if any, laws and regulations are put into place for the maquiladoras? Are these laws and regulations hindering, harmful, or helpful? Are they enforced emphatically? If not, how does this affect development? After

The United States has been a world leader in homicide for centuries. Indeed, “since the early 19th century ...[America has been] the most homicidal country in the Western world” and holds that title today (Kelley, 2009). In a 2007-2008 list of 31 nations, only two nations, Mexico and Chile, had higher homicide rates (Comparison, 2010). Nations with higher populations, such as India and China have fewer homicides (Comparison, 2010). Further, a nation such as Japan, which has a lower population but a higher population density then the United States, has one of the world’s lowest homicide rates (Comparison, 2010). Population size and density, therefore, cannot be the chief reasons for this nation’s higher homicide rates.

Recognized as one of the most fearless and violent cartels in all of Mexico, Los Zetas was brought forth by a need for personal security in the Gulf Cartel. This former hit man/security style operation, active since 1997, has since grown into its own ruthless and violent organization becoming the second most powerful cartel and easily the most feared in all of Mexico. Heavily trained and armed, members of Los Zetas are set apart from other cartels because of the level of brutality they are willing to administer to those who cross them, though they had initially hoped that by being more intimidating they would have to fight less. It is their command of the drug market, their lack of fear in using violent tactics, and the

However, raising women’s wages so they are comparable to men’s is certainly a possible solution. This is important because approximately 1/3 of all working mothers are the sole or primary source of income for their families. 5 While raising working women’s wages may increase costs to businesses, it is the only solution if a company resolves to follow the regulations set forth to ensure equal pay for equal work, which by law, they are required to do. Most likely businesses will not be inclined to absorb these costs but rather pass them on to the consumer. However, in order to remain competitive they may find it wise to keep their customers happy or else they may lose them. To achieve this, they most likely will have to “eat the cost” of providing equal pay for women.