Este documento transita por la criminología crítica, con un abordaje biográfico (como marcometodológico) de Emiro Sandoval Huertas, exmagistrado auxiliar de la Corte Suprema de Justicia,quien murió en los sucesos de la toma y la retoma del Palacio de Justicia en 1985. Tras una breverevisión de la década de 1980 en el país, con sus convulsiones y heridas, se aborda la criminologíaa manera de recuento, para ahondar en la criminología crítica. Con la muerte de Sandoval Huertasdesapareció una figura importantísima para la criminología en Colombia y esto coincide con laaparente desintegración de la criminología crítica como movimiento político que estaba planteandodiscusiones pertinentes para la concepción social del delito en el país.  

The purpose of this paper is to explore the classic role of police institutions in maintaining peace in transitional contexts, specifically in the case of Colombia. Therefore, it addresses the specialized literature on the subject which has two lines of analysis: policing the peace and policing for peace. The first is related to external peacekeeping operations to countries in conflict by international organizations. The second is linked to paradigm changes in police institutions in peace scenarios. This literature is used to analyze the Colombian case, identifying progress, setbacks, and the challenges faced by the police institution in a context of transition from armed conflict to peace. Among the main conclusions, the complexity of advancing towards a policing for peace model in Colombia is emphasized. A key recommendation involves, on the one hand, combining procedural justice with strategies that promote institutional legitimacy and strengthen public trust; and, on the other hand, adopting an approach that enhances internal practices.