Why is Rio de Janeiro so dangerous?

Corruption and social exclusion behind rampant violence in Brazilian state, say experts
El País (Spain)
Thursday, February 19, 2015

While Brazil has the dubious honor of having the highest homicide rate in the world – with 56,337 killings reported in 2013 – Rio has the most number of murders committed by police than any other Brazilian state. The mayor points to the widely held belief in the city that successful drug traffickers need to control a territory. "There is cocaine and marijuana in every western capital. But that crazy idea of thinking that traffickers need to dominate an area is one of our peculiarities [...]."