The present work makes a reading of the action of the State on the so-called "critical" neighborhoods, problematizing the perspective that has been built on "violence" that occurred in the sectors. It is argued that targeting “direct” violence, that is, interpersonal violence, and always located in politically delimited locations, is one of the forms that contemporary governmentality has acquired for the administration of life in the popular sectors. It is concluded that a socio-historical examination of the problem must consider the State, its speeches and writing as part of the problem to be analyzed, since it fully participates in its historical production as a rationality of government.El presente trabajo realiza una lectura de la acción del Estado sobre los denominados barrios “críticos”, problematizando la perspectiva que se ha construido sobre “violencia” acontecida en los sectores. Se argumenta que la focalización en una violencia “directa”, vale decir, interpersonal, y siempre localizada en emplazamientos políticamente delimitados, es una de las formas que ha adquirido la gubernamentalidad contemporánea para la administración de la vida en los sectores populares. Se concluye que un examen socio histórico debe considerar al Estado, sus discursos y escritura como parte del problema a analizar, puesto que participa íntegramente de su producción en tanto racionalidad de gobierno.