School performance and violence: Intra-urban evaluation of an Amazonian metropolis

Abstract

The article investigates, at an intra-urban level, the effects of school performance with violent crime in the influence area of schools in a metropolis located in the Amazon, controlling the factors of ambient population, formal policing, and slums/ favelas . The study variables were prepared using the Geographic Information System (GIS) for further spatial regression analysis, due to production and access limitations to quality data for Latin American cities. The urban areas with better school performance present a protective effect against lethal violence. The results were discussed based on the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and violent crime prevention initiatives in cities from the Global South. • Good school performance exerts a protective effect against lethal violence on an intra-urban scale. • Results suggest a more reliable and less lethal police activity with frequent patrols to prevent violence in public schools. • Violence is associated with the presence of slums around schools. • GIS is a powerful tool for collecting and processing spatial data on violence in cities from the global south.