Mapping the Killer State: Gender, Space, and Deaths Due to Legal Intervention in Mexico (2004–2010)

As a now voluminous literature demonstrates, lethal encounters between the State and society can occur under a variety of conditions and have different meanings according to the victims' characteristics. Nevertheless, only a few scholars have specifically discussed the manner in which females lose their lives at the hand of the State. This study examines 132 female deaths due to legal intervention that took place in Mexico from 2004 to 2010. In particular, we seek to understand and explain the magnitude, location, and frequency with which women lose their lives at the hands of the State. Research findings suggest that although deaths due to legal intervention are unevenly distributed in Mexico, their effects are clearly located within specific populations and communities, particularly affecting women in rural locations.