SWJ–El Centro Book Review — Comprendre les Gangs en Haïti: Quartiers, Sécurité et Médias

Neptune Prince, Comprendre les Gangs en Haïti: Quartiers, Sécurité et Médias. Port-au-Prince, Haïti: CIDIHCA, 2024 [French Edition; ISBN 9782894546055, Softcover; ASIN B0CVYK4NJF, eBook, 320 Pages]

Neptune Prince, the primary author of Comprendre les Gangs en Haïti (Understanding Gangs in Haiti), has been a professor at the State University of Haiti for over a decade, where his research has focused on the territory and security of post-colonial societies. He holds a doctorate in geography and urbanism from the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon and has also obtained a master’s degree in criminology. Additionally, he has served on the Commission Nationale pour la Science, la Technologie et l’Innovation within Haiti’s Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training since November 2022. Prince published this work in February 2024 in collaboration with a group of fellow PhD. holders, master’s recipients, and graduate students hailing from the State University of Haiti, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Quisqueya University, and the University of Bologna.

Comprendre les Gangs en Haïti is written in French—no English language translation exists. It contains a table of contents, table of authors, preface, introduction, eight chapters, a conclusion, and four annexes. The body of this text is an interdisciplinary analysis of insecurity, violence, and crime in Haitian media and space, with an emphasis on community impacts. The introduction explains the current condition of life in Haiti and provides the rationale for this work. The authors set out to use an interdisciplinary analysis to create a new commentary on insecurity in Haiti that goes beyond a criminal justice perspective. Additionally, this section includes a description of the main focus of each chapter of this work.

The first four chapters are contained in the first part of the book: “Comprendre les gangs à travers leurs emplacements, leurs discours et leurs modes d’opération dans les médias” (Understanding gangs through their location, their discourse, and their modes of operation in the media). The first chapter of this section, “Les Discours des Chefs de Gangs: Nouvelles paroles politiques?” (The Speeches of Gang Leaders: A New Form of Political Discourse), was co-authored by Patrick François and Neptune Prince. This chapter analyzes gang leaders’ discourse and identifies its underlying political meaning. In doing so, this chapter sets out to identify the role of gang activity as a political space. The second chapter, “La Stigmatisation de la Violence dans les Médias Siciliens: Information ou entretien des mythes?” (The Stigmatism of Violence in Sicilian Media: Information or Continued Myth), by Fabien Gilbault, focuses its analysis on Sicilian mafia violence and the impact of the media on its perception. This is a noticeable topic shift from the main text, but an important one. This chapter highlights the wider applicability of media influence on public perception of violence beyond Haiti.

The third chapter, “Une Géographie Mouvante des Gangs Opérant dans l’Aire Métropolitaine de Port-au-Prince” (A Shifting Geography of Gangs Operating in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area), by Jean Saint-Vil, focuses on distinct changes in gang operations in Port-au-Prince. The author finds that, over the last four years, there have been key changes in their modes of expansion, remuneration, and impact on the surrounding area. This first part of the book ends with “Ressources Naturelles et Localisation des Groupes Armés dans le Département de l’Ouest: Pour quelles stratégies territoriales?” (Natural Resources and Location of Armed Groups in the Western Department: For What Territorial Strategies?), by Alexandra V. D. Pierre and Neptune Prince. This chapter concludes the first half of the book by analyzing Haitian territories from a geographical view. The authors compare the locations of armed groups to areas that have the potential for natural resources through the use of old maps and related documents. This chapter further analyzes whether the positions of these groups serve intentional territorial strategies.

The second half of this work, “Violence et Insécurité Criminelle dans Quartiers Auto-Fabriqués: Causes et Conséquences” (Violence and Criminal Insecurity in Self-Built Neighborhoods: Causes and Consequences), is composed of four chapters that scale down their focus to specific neighborhoods. “Violence et Insécurité” (Violence and Insecurity) by Djems Olivier lays the groundwork for the rest of this section by explaining the types of violence in Haiti and the steps citizens have taken to protect themselves. This author tackles Haitian insecurity as it relates to food, health, travel, property, and politics. This section explains that failed institutional measures have led citizens to seek both physical and spiritual protection. In the following chapter, “Les Clôtures et Insécurité: Quels enjeux d’habiter dans des habitats encloisonnés? Cas du Quartier de Morne Brun à Pétion-Ville” (The Fences and Insecurity: What are the Implications of Living in Enclosed Housing? The Case of the Morne Brun Neighborhood in Pétion-Ville), Neptune Prince and Jean Odelin Casséus use the fences surrounding homes in Pétion-Ville to examine how insecurity shapes this physical protection. The authors explore how the architecture of home security can increase the fear present in the neighborhood.

Shifting the perspective to education, Audyl Corgelas calls for educational reform in the seventh chapter, “Insécurité et Fonctionnement des Écoles dans les Quartiers Urbains Chauds à Port-au-Prince” (Insecurity and Function of Schools in High-Crime Neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince). The author emphasizes the importance of educational environments in overcoming violence in the school systems caused by Haiti’s socioeconomic divide. Under that premise, increased support programs, access to technology, and equal distribution of supplies are offered as solutions. As the last chapter in this section, “L’Insécurité et La Déterritorialisation des Quartiers dans la Région Métropolitaine de Port-au-Prince: Cas de Martissant” (The Insecurity and Deterritorialisation of Neighborhoods in the Metropolitan Region of Port-au-Prince: The Case of Martissant) by Neptune Prince examines what happens when neighborhoods face abandonment due to the region’s insecurity. This chapter describes how occupants leave their neighborhoods out of fear and, in turn, armed groups claim those territories.

Prince, the primary author, writes the conclusion of this work, “Proposition pour une sortie de crise par la paix négociée” (Proposition for an exit to the Crisis through Negotiated Peace), to advocate for a two-pronged policy to combat the ongoing Haitian violence. First, he calls for a better understanding of insecurity and crime in the region. Second, Prince explains that “armed groups” or “gangs” must be seen as victims of a failed system, rather than just criminals. With this perspective, forgiveness is offered as a means of reconciliation at both the national and community levels. While it is not uncommon for younger members of gangs to be viewed as victims, he extends this perspective to gang leadership as well. The author finds that, without accepting the need for this forgiveness, Haiti will be stuck at a societal impasse.

Comprendre les Gangs en Haïti offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective that creates new conversations on the topic. The contents give a well-rounded understanding to those interested in the field of study and propose meaningful solutions. While this work is centered on Haiti, the reviewer believes it is a great read and beneficial for those studying community-based insecurity. The authors provide strong context to each topic covered; however, the reviewer recommends approaching this work with a baseline knowledge of Haiti’s current situation for a better understanding of the analysis.

It is important to note the structure of this work, as each chapter acts as a self-contained research paper. This benefited the depth at which each topic was covered, but at times caused sudden shifts between chapters. This was most notable in Gilbault’s chapter, in which the focus was on the Sicilian mafia. The topics discussed could become tangential and feel mildly disconnected, but ultimately were tied together by common themes. For this reason, this work can either be read as a whole or in parts, as each chapter is educational even in isolation. A highlight of this work was the level of detail in both the table of contents and the introduction. Upon opening the book, a reader knows what topic, arguments, or themes are present on any given page or section. A second highlight was the use of visuals throughout the text. Though not present in every chapter, colored maps, images, and charts were used to illustrate the concepts being discussed.

Overall, this work offers a strong analysis of Haitian insecurity and gangs that is hard to find elsewhere. No other interdisciplinary work on this specific topic exists. While much of the existing literature on Haiti focuses on the history, government, or impact of the international community, this work follows a clear and articulate focus on the gangs themselves. As one of the earliest works on this topic, the reviewer expects this work to only become more relevant as Haiti’s security crisis continues. The authors have succeeded in creating a meaningful contribution to this area of study.