ComunPaz
Axios
Policing
Problems addressed
Predominance of a culture of violence appreciation/acceptance
Low levels of trust in and/or perception of illegitimacy of police agencies
Effectiveness

Effective

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Effective

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Life periods served
Adults (18 to 59 years)
Where the program was applied
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
Colombia
Description

This is a program focused on problem-solving and crime prevention. ComunPaz seeks to articulate initiatives aimed at the peaceful resolution of community conflicts in areas once dominated by the FARC in Colombia.
The program is developed through coordination efforts between police authorities and community action councils (JACs, for their acronym in Spanish), with a view to improving relations with citizens in these areas and avoiding the risks associated with the forced imposition of the law on communities accustomed to autonomy or submission to the control of the “parallel state”.
Specifically, ComunPaz comprised four modules: 1) lectures, 2) discussions, 3) group work, and 4) a Q&A session. Each module lasted one day, i.e., a total of four days per treatment community. The program was implemented over 3 months per community, with breaks between sessions to allow residents to adopt new dispositions and put new skills into practice.
The program was implemented between October 2018 and May 2019 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Colombian government’s National Planning Department (DNP), and the Conflict Analysis Resource Center (CERAC).

Impact evaluations

A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluated the impact of the intervention and concluded that the program was effective to improve the quality of local conflict resolution, increase citizens’ trust in (some) state institutions, and strengthen the coordination between state and community authorities. In addition, the authors note a reduction in the population’s trust in armed groups [1].
The design used to evaluate the intervention was a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) in which the community was used as the unit of analysis. The sample consisted of 149 communities in four rural regions of Colombia where the FARC had a high historical presence. The number of communities randomly assigned to the treatment group was 72.
Impact was assessed through surveys of residents, community action council leaders, police officers, and police inspectors. In other words, the research assessed both the supply and demand for security and justice.

Bibliographic reference

[1] Blair, R. A., Moscoso-Rojas, M., Vargas-Castillo, A., Weintraub, M. (2022). Preventing Rebel Resurgence after Civil War: A Field Experiment in Security and Justice Provision in Rural Colombia. American Political Science Review, 116(4), 1258–1277. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422000284

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