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Stinchcomb, Dennis A
Assistant Director for Research
Analyzing Impacts of COVID-19
CLALS is committed to disseminating quality analysis of COVID-19's impact on Latin America and Latino communities in the United States, including Center projects and publications from American University faculty and partner institutions worldwide. View our collection of analyses, projects, and infographics.
CLALS News
CLALS Releases Working Paper 30 - The Rise of the PCC: How South America’s Most Powerful Prison Gang is Spreading in Brazil and Beyond
The Center has released The Rise of the PCC: How South America’s Most Powerful Prison Gang is Spreading in Brazil and Beyond, co-authored by Insight Crime and CLALS. Over the past thirty years, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) has emerged as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in South America. Drawing on research undertaken as part of the CLALS project, “Transnational Criminal Organizations in Brazil & the Southern Cone,” the report describes the PCC’s origin as a Brazilian prison gang, its unique model of organization, and its ability to regulate criminal markets in the areas it controls. The report analyzes the forces that have facilitated the PCC’s rise and expansion within and beyond Brazil, as well as possible constraints to its further spread.
Funder & Partner Highlights
CLALS has been awarded $306,720 from the U.S. Department of State, as part of its one-year “Western Hemisphere Regional Transnational Crime Assessment and Analysis” initiative. Led by CLALS faculty affiliate and SIS Associate Professor Matt Taylor and CLALS Research Fellow Steven Dudley, this project will assess and map criminal networks throughout the region at the hemispheric, subregional and national levels, evaluate connections between these networks, create a regional typology of networks, and evaluate the effectiveness of state efforts to tackle such criminal organizations.
Media Mentions
The CLALS study “COVID-19: Impacts on Higher Education in Latin America” was cited by both The New York Times and The Economist in recent articles about universities in Latin America. CLALS surveyed academic leaders across Latin America to assess the pandemic’s effects on higher education in the region. The survey covered a variety of topics, including the transition to online classes and telework, financial implications, and student resources on campus.