Resumo

RUJANO, Raima. Delinquency and community organization in the discourse of three leaders in the Villa Venecia neighborhood, Maracaibo. Opcion [online]. 2009, vol.25, n.58, pp.161-180. ISSN 1012-1587.

This article presents an analysis of the construction of the concepts community organization and delinquency by three community leaders who participate in the development of a form of crime prevention called “the neighborhood patrol,” in Villa Venecia, Maracaibo. The semantic-pragmatic approach to discourse analysis was used. Results obtained were that: A) the central purpose of discourse is to tell how the community organized itself to confront criminal acts in its neighborhood, legitimizing the method of taking justice into their own hands to safeguard their property and the lives of their families. B) In the discourse, the use of discursive strategies of victimization, solidarity and coming closer, reserve and cover-up stand out. C) The purpose of the discourse is to make the receiver know and think. Conclusions were that among the linguistic strategies and resources utilized by those interviewed, the legitimizing functions and mechanisms of “I-we” (neighborhood patrol) and the de-legitimization of the “other” (role of the police forces) stand out as ways to justify the actions taken against delinquency during the night hours.

Palavras-chave : delinquency; community organization; discourse analysis.