ABSTRACT
Most citizens in the Western world consider that controlling crime and delinquency are main priorities governments should focus on. The problem is deciding on the costs a society should pay for public safety. In some cases, like in the province of Buenos Aires, a governor suggested that “we need to shoot delinquents. I am not saying kill them, but shoot them in their arms or legs.”1 In other less extreme cases, delivering public safety means providing the police with more legal tools to arrest individuals. In most cases, politicians frame the problem as a trade-off between protecting citizens’ rights and providing public safety.
