Countering crime and corruption

Abstract

The Border Project was a 36-lesson course developed by Mexican and US teachers to build support for a culture of lawfulness and further the rule of law. The conclusion of the project's evaluation was, simply put, that the students learned the lessons taught. While the impact on their attitudes and behaviors was more mixed, participation did appear to strengthen overall belief in rules among some groups of San Diego students and the sense of interpersonal competency among students in Tijuana. These positive findings were reinforced by an increased awareness among students in both settings of the importance of self-esteem in resisting bad behavior, the difficulties encountered in rejecting criminal associations and the gradual erosion that often leads individuals into crime and corruption. In addition, the legal reasoning skills of Tijuana students appeared to have been enhanced as a result of their participation in the project. Self-reported behavior, however, was unchanged.