Citizen security’s studies typically try to provide universal cause-consequence schemes to explain insecurity and the prevention of crime and violent actions’ materialization. The problem is the violent act, and if this is not consummated all then seems to be perfect in societies in conflict. Focusing in Mexico and Argentina, the paper examines crime from the parallel activities that give it sense and symbolic value. There are a number of complementary activities, many legal, without which crime would lose its raison d'être. Illegality must be understood in the context of its use, tolerance and efficacy as a mean to achieve social and political goals. Taking into account the legitimation of violence/crime as a useful mean, this work shows that they are not the core problem, but are the logical consequence of a main prior problem: the collapse of legality as a key value and effective principle of everyday social interactions.
