Mexico has experienced significant increases in crime and violence in recent years. Violent crime enabled by impunity and the ineffectiveness of government institutions to ensure basic security, diminishes public confidence in government, and threatens citizen well-being, economic growth, and the social fabric of communities across the country. Furthermore, day-to-day lower-level criminality including assaults, muggings, public disturbances, and robbery fuel citizen perceptions of insecurity. Youth, facing a dearth of productive alternatives to lucrative illicit activities and emboldened by a perception that there is no penalty to pay for criminality, are ideal recruits for TCOs and their subsidiary organizations.