The high rates of crime and violence are two of the main challenges that affect the citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean. That is why the public policies of citizen security are prioritized in the agendas of the governments of the region. To improve the effectiveness of these policies, it is essential to have an informed civil society making sure that social rights are respected and that the rule of law is fulfilled under a regime of democratic governance. Hence the importance of making this material available to the general public, which allows knowing both the theoretical concepts and what is currently being done in practice in terms of the implementation of citizen security and justice policies in the region.   
  
  
In particular, the course provides applied knowledge and technical tools for the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs aimed at strengthening the different links that make up the criminal justice system: prevention of crime and violence; crime deterrence; law enforcement; crime judicialization and social rehabilitation of prisoners.   
  
It is expected that this course will create awareness among public officials, authorities, academics, journalists, civil society and the public interested in citizen security and justice issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, on the intersectoral nature of policies that seek to improve the services of social prevention of violence, police, prosecutor’s offices, and prisons.  
  
The course was jointly designed by the IDB and the consortium of universities of Chile, John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and FADISMA in Brasil.  
  
Check the information about scholarships and the face-to-face training week at the following link: http://callforproposals.iadb.org/cfp-seguridad-ciudadana/home-course-en