When states kill: Monitor of Lethal Force in Latin America and the Caribbean

This book presents the results of a year-long research and monitoring program on police use of lethal force in Latin America and the Caribbean carried out by a network of researchers, practitioners and human right activists in the region. It introduces a novel methodological framework for assessing police violence in contexts where legal accountability remains limited or absent.

The core of the methodology is a set of twelve indicators designed to evaluate patterns of lethal force, with particular attention to identifying abuses and enabling cross-national comparisons to highlight both regional patterns and national outliers. Drawing on these indicators, this volume features in-depth country case studies—Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay—each offering both national context and application of the framework.

By combining rigorous comparative analysis with grounded national insights, this book provides researchers, advocates, and journalists with a practical and replicable approach to documenting and confronting police violence. It contributes to broader efforts to advance accountability and reform in a region marked by high levels of state violence and the world’s highest homicide rates.