The book is a thorough study that focuses on the impact of the current crime wave on citizens respect for the law in countries such as Nicaragua Panama Costa Rica Guatemala El Salvador and Honduras The work opens with a brief review of the literature on the rule of law and legal socialization followed by an historical overview of the democratization and justice reform in Central America from the 1990s to the present Set as a comparative micro level study the work then looks at an array of measures from citizens toleration of government abuses of power to vigilante justice and the reporting of crime to police Lastly an empirical model is developed to predict citizens attitudes combining both these micro level individual attributes with macro level measures of institutional performance A unique look at the process of democratization from a comparative perspective Citizens Support for the Rule of Law in Central America it will appeal to faculty researchers and students interested in Latin American politics comparative politics and democratic transition