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954 total results foundAuthor: Zaluar, Alba Title: Violence Related to Illegal Drugs, "Easy Money" and Justice in Brazil: 1980-1995. Summary: The aim of this paper is to understand the connections between poverty and drug traffic, specifying the different economic, social and institutional devices and changes that affect the matter in question. It is based on primary data from several fieldwork researches as well as data obtained from official sources in Brazil - the Ministry of Health, the Police and the Judiciary. Details: Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, MOST Programme, 1999 Source: Discussion Paper Series - No. 35 Year: 1999 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 117333 |
Author: Delgado, Fernando Riberio Title: Lethal Force: Police Violence and Public Security in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo Summary: The Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have been plagued for years by violent crime, much of it carried out by illegal drug-trafficking gangs. Reducing this violence and containing these gangs represents a daunting and at times dangerous challenge for the police forces. Too often, however, rather than curbing the violence, police officers in both states have contributed to it through the unjustifiable use of lethal force. The Rio and Sao Paulo police have together killed more than 11,000 people since 2003. In nearly all these cases, the officers involved have reported the shootings as legitimate acts of self-defense. In Brazil, these cases are referred to as "resistance" killings. Given that police officers in both states do face real threats of violence from gang members, many of these "resistance" killings are likely the result of the use of legitimate force by the police. Many others, however, are clearly not. After a comprehensive, two-year investigation into policing practices in Rio and Sao Paulo, Human Rights Watch has concluded that a substantial portion of the alleged resistance killings reported in both states are unlawful extrajudicial executions. In addition, some police officers are members of "death squads" or, in the case of Rio, illegal armed militias, which together are responsible for hundreds of murders each year. In many purported resistance killings and killings by death squads, police officers take steps to cover-up the true nature of the killing, and police investigators often fail to take necessary steps to determine what has taken place, helping to ensure that criminal responsibilty cannot be established and that those responsible remain unpunished. Impunity for extrajudicial executions committed by police officers remains the norm. A principal cause of this chronic impunity is the fact that the criminal justice systems in both states rely almost entirely on police investigators to resolve these cases. So long as this arrangement remains unchanged, police impunity will prevail, police killing rates will stay high, and the states' legitimate efforts to curb violence and lawlessness will suffer. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Police Misconduct Shelf Number: 117402 |
Author: Justica Global Title: The Criminalization of Poverty: A Report on the Economic, Social and Cultural Root Causes of Torture and other Forms of Violence in Brazil. Summary: This report addresses some of the key areas where there is a clear and direct link between violations of economic, social and cultural rights and violence, or the threat of violence in Brazil. An important element of the report is the recommendations it contains for the Government of Brazil to address the economic, social and cultural root causes of torture and other forms of violence. Details: Geneva: World Organization Against Torture, 2009. 52p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Torture; Violent Crime; Poverty Shelf Number: 114823 |
Author: Dreyfus, Pablo Title: Tracking the Guns: International Diversion of Small Arms to Illicit Markets in Rio de Janeiro Summary: This report outlines some of the possible means by which foreign made small arms and light weapons were diverted from legal trade into illicit markets in Brazil. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Viva Rio; Oslo, Norway: International Peace Research Institute, 2006. 92p. Source: Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Illegal Trade Shelf Number: 113854 |
Author: Sharma, Bhavna Title: Contemporary Forms of Slavery in Brazil Summary: This report provides information and analysis in relation to slavery practices in Brazil, with a particular focus on forced labor in the Amazon, trafficking of people for the labor and sexual exploitation, and child domestic work. Details: London: Anti-Slavery International, 2006. 17p. Source: Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 118365 |
Author: Dreyfus, Pablo Title: Small Arms in Rio de Janeiro: The Guns, the Buyback, and the Victims Summary: This report presents three separate studies regarding a gun buyback program in Rio de Janeiro: Do voluntary small arms collections reduce violence? Do they work in isolation, or do they have to be combined with other control measures? The first study attempts to answer these questions by analysing the impact in the state of Rio de Janeiro of a national small arms buyback campaign that took place from July 2004 to October 2005. The study concludes that in Rio de Janeiro, small arms voluntary collection campaigns do indeed reduce armed violence, as long as they are not implemented in isolation; they must be combined with other preventative measures. The second study analyses the volume, price and symbolic value of small arms in the criminal market in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study finds that 928,621 small arms circulate in the so-called Marvellous City, of which 159,723 are used in crime. The third study looks at demand for small arms in Rio de Janeiro and asks whether the characteristics of the city are unique, in particular in its impoverished peripheral areas where armed violence is most acute. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2008. 147p. Source: Internet Resource; Special Report by Small Arms Survey, Viva Rio, and ISER Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Armed Violence Shelf Number: 114582 |
Author: Reynolds, Robert Title: Prevention of Murders in Diadema, Brazil: The Influence of New Alcohol Policies Summary: In July, 2002, Diadema adopted a new municipal code requiring that all alcohol retailers in the City of Diadema cease alcohol sales at 11:00 pm. City records suggested that the adoption and enforcement of this new alcohol policy was preventing assaults against women and murders in Diadema. This research protocol evaluates the outcomes of the new alcohol policy by addressing two questions: 1) Does the new alcohol policy prevent murders in Diadema? 2) Does the new alcohol policy prevent assaults against women in Diadema? The study concluded that since January 2000 there has been a steady improvement in public safety and Diadema has become a safer city. The reductions in murder and in assaults against women began before the adoption of the new alcohol policy in July 2002, and these reductions accelerated after the new policy was implemented. Details: Calverton, MD: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2004. 9p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Alcohol Related Crime, Disorder (Brazil) Shelf Number: 118670 |
Author: Gasparini Alves, Pericles Title: Illicit Trafficking in Firearms: Prevention and Combat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A National, Regional and Global Issue Summary: Since the 1980s, Brazil has faced one of the worst small arms problems in the world. Drug and arms trafficking have lead to increasing levels of violence in Brazilian society, notably in large cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This publication offers and account of the arms trafficking situation in Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Government's response to it. Details: Geneva: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, 2001. 66p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2001 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Shelf Number: 119478 |
Author: Morrison, Andrew Title: Crime, Violence and Economic Development in Brazil: Elements for Effective Public Policy Summary: Crime and violence rates are high in Brazil. In 2002 the country’s homicide rate—32 per 100,000 inhabitants — was the fourth-highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Not only is the Brazil’s homicide rate quite high, it also has more than doubled since 1980. The prevalence of other forms of violence and crime are also worrying: according to data from victimization surveys, Brazil in the mid-1990s had the highest rate of victimization for robbery and sexual assault among 16 developing countries included in the survey; more recent data for 2001 show continued high rates of robbery and theft, with 9.8 percent of individuals being victimized. Intimate partner violence affects one in three Brazilian women. This report documents levels and trends in violence and crime in Brazil since 1980 and estimates the impact that crime and violence have on the country’s economy. But describing magnitudes and costs is only the first step; the report’s more fundamental contributions are to provide a critical survey of approaches to public safety in Brazil and to identify good practices in the prevention of crime and violence through analyses of initiatives in Brazil and — where relevant — other countries. The report is organized as follows. It first discusses crime and violence in Brazil, its magnitude (chapter 1) and determinants and costs (chapter 2). It then reviews various public policy approaches used in Brazil to address crime and violence – presenting an overview of the types of interventions used (chapter 3). The remaining chapters discuss some of the key public policy experiences in public safety in Brazil: responses that have come from the public health perspective, namely those addressing youth violence, arms control, and the control of alcohol sales (chapter 4); a criminal justice perspective, examining some of the key issues around police reform (chapter 5); and some of the cross sectoral approaches, in particular looking at genderbased violence, integrated municipal programs and the use of geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for effective public safety policy across different sectors (chapter 6). Finally, the report approximates the cost effectiveness of various crime prevention initiatives in Brazil, using parameters from impact evaluations of comparable programs from outside Brazil and cost data from these Brazilian initiatives (chapter 7). The last chapter of the report offers conclusions and some recommendations for public policy at the federal, state and municipal levels (chapter 8). Details: Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006. 129p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Security/citizensecurity/brazil/documents/docworldbank.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics (Brazil) Shelf Number: 110841 |
Author: Dreyfus, Pablo Title: Small Arms in Brazil: Production, Trade, and Holdings Summary: It is not difficult to find evidence of Brazil’s high levels of armed violence. The proof is in the grim statistics of the country’s hospitals, morgues, and prisons. This Special Report looks at two aspects of this problem. First, it explores the thriving Brazilian small arms industry, which, together with international trafficking networks, contributes to control failures and fuels small arms violence. Second, it maps out weapons holdings—by weapon type, holder, and location Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2010. 170p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2010 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR11-Small-Arms-in-Brazil.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Guns Shelf Number: 120035 |
Author: Barenboim, Igor Title: Does Crime Breed Inequality? Theory and Evidence from the Favelas in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Crime and income inequality are positively correlated. Many have argued that the causation from the latter to the former; to our knowledge, the reverse channel of causality has not been studied. We present two simple mechanisms through which crime can breed inequality, both based on the idea that private protection from crime is a normal good. In our first hypothesis, crime distorts savings decisions by lowering expected returns, and more so for the poor who can afford less protection. Our second model explores how crime can generate inequality by diferentially affecting location decisions according to income. We test these ideas empirically in the extremely high-crime context of slums ("favelas") in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and find suggestive evidence that higher crime leads to more inequality within favelas. We also show evidence of the savings mechanism, with little support for the spatial mechanism in this context. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University (Working Paper), 2009. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 23, 2010 at: http://www.eea-esem.com/files/papers/EEA-ESEM/2009/448/Favelas_draft18Jan09%202.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 120056 |
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Regional Office Brazil Title: Country Profile Summary: The Federal Government Multi-year Plan (PPA), 2004-2007, entitled - A Brazil for All - laid out the country's vision for a more equitable, sustainable, and competitive Brazil. Equity is undermined by high crime rates, which affect the poor more deeply. Crime and violence in slum areas remain high and solutions remain elusive. The Government recognizes that crime and violence causes serious economic and social problems that need to be addressed along four broad lines of actions. First, over the long term, social progress at the macro level, with more and better income opportunities would help reduce crime. Second, in the near term, community-based approaches involving the local population and local governments have shown results. Third, urban upgrading programmes in slum areas can also be an entry point for community and cultural activities, micro-credit, and other opportunities. Fourth, improving performance of the police and judiciary will also help lower impunity and crime rates. In opinion polls and consultations, crime and violence are mentioned as one of the most pressing concerns facing Brazilians today. Crime prevention at the local level, combining elements of traditional responses with the targeting of risk factors - such as: easy access to firearms, drugs, and alcohol; high levels of school dropout and unemployment, family violence; and the media portraying violence - represent the emerging international consensus on combating crime and violence. The primary responsibility lies not only with the police, but also with municipalities, state governments and communities. Partnership at all levels needs to be actively engaged. It is important to point out that the average homicide rate of 23.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil does not provide a complete picture of the situation. This average does not reflect the inequalities that exist between areas in the cities where the middle to upper class population live and the tourists visit - where rates of 5 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants is prevalent while in slums, rates of 100 homicides and above are registered per 100,000 inhabitants. If we consider that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), for every homicide at least 20 people get injured, the magnitude of the crime and violence in small and big cities acquires a serious dimension. From a gender perspective 82 per cent of the homicides are related to males, and the most affected age group is between 15-29 years old with high incidence in the Afro-Brazilian ethnic group. Unequal distribution of wealth among youth of the upper-middle- class (with the millions of young people living in slums) is a reflection of an unequal society. In this society, 1 per cent of the rich population receives 10 per cent of total national income and 50% of the poor population receives 10% of the national income. Crime prevention experts in Brazil agree that inequality and social exclusion, more than poverty, are the main causes of the involvement of youths in criminal activities. Sustainable development is undermined when crime goes unpunished, since it increases the - Custo Brazil, - (broadly defined as impediments and obstacles to Brazilian competitiveness). Crime depletes resources that could be used for education, health, public safety, generation of employment, etc. Criminal groups are now active in moneylaundering, theft of art and cultural objects, theft of intellectual property, illicit arms trafficking, insurance fraud, computer crime, environmental crime, trafficking in persons, illicit drug trafficking, fraudulent bankruptcy, infiltration of legal businesses, corruption and bribery of public or party officials, etc. These crimes, of a national and transnational nature, provide the criminal groups with most of their illicit money. The national dimension of the economic and social cost of crime has never been assessed. However, based on the sparse data available, it could represent 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. Some of these crimes are white-collar crimes involving mostly middle to upper class, well educated professionals, who count on impunity and low risk of being sentenced for their crimes against the public treasury, financial institutions, etc. Over the last two years, the Brazilian Government has given priority to fighting white-collar crimes with some degree of success. Much remains to be done to recover stolen assets in Brazil and abroad as a measure to show that crime does not pay. Promotion of public ethics is also a work in progress. The success story of Brazil continues to be the control of HIV/AIDS. The mortality from AIDS is now limited to 6 cases in every 100,000 inhabitants. HIV among injecting drugs users has been reduced by half in the last 10 years. A similar national effort is required to control and reduce by half the homicide rate by the year 2015. Details: Brasilia, Brazil: UNODC Regional Office Brazil, 2005. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 4, 2010 at: http://www.unodc.org/pdf/brazil/COUNTRY%20PROFILE%20Eng.pdf Year: 2005 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime (Brazil) Shelf Number: 120180 |
Author: Koenders, Sara Title: Between Trust and Fear: Mothers Creating Spaces of Security Amid Violence in Vila Cruzeior, Rio de Janeiro Summary: In interaction between the gang, the police and the residents of Vila Cruzeiro a cycle of violence, fear, and insecurity is produced and maintained. This interaction is based on images the actors hold of one another and that are at the same time the product of this interaction. The police and the gang are creating, acting upon and reinforcing structures of domination, signification, and legitimation which have allowed for the militarization of policing and increasing presence of traffickers enforcing a ‘law of the favela.’ The cycle of violence is so persistent mainly because the police not only fails to guarantee security, but is often directly involved in the perpetuation of crime. At the same time, the ‘war on crime’ is used to legitimize repressive and indiscriminate policing that poses a serious threat to the lives of the residents. This leadsr esidents to rely more and more on the traffickers. Thus, although the relations between gang members and residents are multiple and highly ambiguous, residents tend to be more sympathetic towards the traffickers with whom they live on a day-to-day basis. The traffickers use the negative image of the state to gain support from the residents, while state involvement in criminality sustains the presence of the drug gang. Hence, in interaction between police, gang and residents an environment of violence, fear, and insecurity is created and constantly reproduced. Faced by these challenging and precarious circumstances, women trying to protect and provide for their children create spaces of security. To create these ‘safe’ spaces mothers cultivate, arrange and create social relations with other actors in the community. I claim that in a context of high-risk and violence, social capital plays an important but limited and ambiguous role in this process of coping. Informal and formal social relations carry and produce social capital and are therefore valuable to the creation of spaces of security. From information exchange, reciprocity, norms, rules and trust constituted through these relations a sense of security can be drawn. Strengthening and employing the relations with their children, relatives and a careful choice of friends therefore contributes to the construction of a sense of safety in the face of violence. At the same time people negotiate their relations with social organizations in order to create spaces of security. Education is considered crucial to ensure a better future for children. It keeps them off the street and ideally provides a way out of the context of violence. Churches also take an important place in the coping strategies of mothers; many women see the church as a safe alternative environment in which to raise their children, a place where they learn ‘the good’. Religion can be seen as a gendered form of oppositional culture; one that keeps youngsters out of gang life, or provides a way out of the traffic. The community center is also seen as a secure space to leave their children, and a place where they are offered alternative activities. In addition, it is platform to meet with other women and discuss problems they encounter. Moreover, the members of the neighborhood association are among the few people in the community challenging violence. Details: Utrecht, The Netherlands: Utrecht University, 2008. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 30, 2010 at: http://www.laruta.nu/files/uploads/23/document_document/between%20trust%20and%20fear.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 118782 |
Author: Moraes de Castro, Anderson Title: Drug Control and Its Consequences in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Although Rio de Janeiro (Rio) has not been the capital of Brazil since the 1960s, it is a beautiful city known internationally for its fireworks show on New Year's Eve on Copacabana beach and its carnival parades in the Sambadrome. The local violence associated with police repression and illicit drugs - known as Rio's urban war - is also known well beyond Brazil's national borders. This article presents the challenges of responding to the illicit drug market and its associated violence in Rio, highlighting the characteristics and dynamics of the markets, the impacts of the current drug policy approach adopted by the State of Rio on the scale of the illicit market, and its implications for the human rights and security of affected populations, in particular for the slum dwellers. Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: IDPC Briefing Paper: Accessed December 1, 2010 at: http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/IDPC%20Briefing%20Paper%20Violence%20in%20Rio.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Markets Shelf Number: 120332 |
Author: Filho, Claudio C. Beato Title: Crime, Police and Urban Space Summary: The Brazilian agenda of priorities in the area of public security in the last decade has focussed on the interconnections between three great subjects: (a) violent urban crime, with all the implications of disaggregation and social disorder; (b) urban space, with an emphasis on exclusion, marginality and disorganization; and (c) the police, protagonist of multiple crises and probably one of the most frequent actors in all areas of urban space. In this context, a crucial question is what has been the impact of the police in the control of the violence in Brazil’s urban centres? Few public agencies have such deep participation in the diverse environments of the cities, such frequent interaction with their inhabitants, as the police. This paper will explore the interconnections between these three dimensions of public security, analysing the experience of Belo Horizonte, a Brazilian city of two million inhabitants. We will analyze the impact of a program of police management in which the use of maps was a central strategy. The project was carried out over twenty months, and the results of the evaluation using time series analysis indicate that it had a significant impact on violent crimes rates. Details: Oxford, UK: Centre for Brazilian Studies, University of Oxford, 2005. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. CBS-65-05: Accessed March 15, 2011 at: http://www.brazil.ox.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/9356/Claudio20Beato2065.pdf Year: 2005 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Mapping Shelf Number: 121004 |
Author: Macaulay, Fiona Title: Problems of Police Oversight in Brazil Summary: This paper analyses the problem of subjecting the Brazilian police to truly effective control and oversight. It highlights three key dimensions of police accountability within the Brazilian context -- transparência, fiscalização and responsabilidade -- through which to measure the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms. The paper then analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the current institutional mechanisms of police control, focusing on the military police courts, the internal affairs departments of the police, and the police ombudsmen’s offices and the prosecution service. Finally the problem of accountability is set within a wider historical, social and cultural context. Details: Oxford, UK: University of Oxford, Centre for Brazilian Studies, 2002. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper CBS-33-02: http://www.brazil.ox.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/9398/Macaulay33.pdf Year: 2002 Country: Brazil Keywords: Police Accountability Shelf Number: 121005 |
Author: Lopez, Alexander Title: Environmental Change, Social Conflicts and Security in the Brazilian Amazon: Exploring the Links Summary: Since the discovery of the American continent the Amazon has attracted international attention. The enormous area covered by the basin as well as the limited knowledge about its dynamics have produced through centuries a combination of myths and reality in the exploration of the basin. The stories of El Dorado and the Country of Cinnamon are starting points in the conceptualisation of the Amazon as an enormous space containing unknown richness and, therefore the origin of the international interest over this region. Nevertheless the international interest has always been present in the Amazon; it is until the 1980 when a systematic and organised international outcry began to take place. These new sets of international demands focus basically in the process of environmental change occurring in the area. Thus, attention is paid to the rate and extent of deforestation as well as to the national and international implication of such a process. The interesting aspect is that simultaneously to the process of environmental change a large number of social conflicts take place. As a result the Brazilian Amazon started to suffer abrupt changes, not only in its natural dimension, but also in its social one. Even though during the last three decades environmental change and social conflicts develop in an important magnitude, the academic debate outside Brazil has been centred in the process of environmental change. The social conflict dimension indeed has been marginalised in the analyses done up to now. Moreover, no serious academic attempt has been done in order to link in one given structure of analyses the two most important aspects of contemporary Amazon (environmental change and social conflicts). It is for the prior reason that the main objective of this dissertation is to overcome this gap by exploring the most important sources of social conflicts in the Brazilian Amazon, studying the particular contribution of environmental change to such a process. To carry out this objective I divide this dissertation in three parts containing nine chapters. Part A includes chapters I, II, and III. The main aim of this part is to provide with the necessary information of what is this dissertation about, as well as to point out what are the most important academic feeders for this study. Consequently, chapter I it is presented as the introduction in which I explain why this study is being carried out. In addition, it presents the research problem, the research questions, the main propositions, the research area, and the process of data collection. Chapter II discusses what I call the academic feeders of this dissertation. This is the most important work done in relating environmental matters to security and violent conflict. In particular it evaluates the contributions and limitations of what is called here the environmental security approach and the environmental conflict approach. This serves as background for the discussion presented in chapter III where I will present most of the research design adopted in this dissertation. Thus, chapter III shows my own theoretical methodological proposal for undertaking this research. Using a systemic perspective I specify a set of four independent variables with possible incidence in the value of the dependent variable (social conflicts). Thus, I place environmental change, land and income distribution, allocation of resources, and population growth as independent variables. However, the term independent does not mean that there is not relation between them, on the contrary it is by understanding the links among them that one can get a better knowledge of the situation in the Brazilian Amazon. Part B encompasses chapter IV and V. Chapter IV provides an overview of the most influential historical elements in terms of the research problem. This chapter will explain why facts as the Pombal period, the rubber boom economy and specially the developmentalism idea are important elements for understanding the current situation in the Brazilian Amazon. Chapter V applies the macro perspective to the Brazilian Amazon. It exhibits an analysis of the current system dynamics. The evaluation of such dynamics is done in two levels. First, I present the system-suprasystem interactions (Brazilian Amazoninternational community). The links are understood and related to the arguments presented in the environmental security approach (chapter II). The second level focuses on the main internal attributes of the system. This is done in order to facilitate the understanding of the case studies and it is related to the environmental conflict approach. Finally part C encompasses the remaining chapters (VI to IX). This part presents a detailed evaluation of the main sources of social conflicts in Roraima and Pará and the possible contribution of environmental change to the conflict dynamic. At the same time I point out some of the main links between the subsystems (Roraima and Pará), and between them and the Brazilian Amazon (chapters VI and VII). In chapter VIII I use the comparative method in order to evaluate the cases of Roraima and Pará. In order to carry out this task I use partially Mill’s methods of difference. This is done basically in order to see the specific contribution of environmental change to the social conflicts taking place in the Brazilian Amazon. At the end this chapter provides the major findings obtained through the case studies. Finally chapter IX relates the empirical findings to the initial discussion on social conflicts and security. In addition, it provides a suggestion for future research based on what has been discussed throughout this study. Details: Oslo: University of Oslo, Department of Political Science, 2000. 229p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2011 at: http://www.sv.uio.no/isv/ Year: 2000 Country: Brazil Keywords: Natural Resources Shelf Number: 122580 |
Author: Chimeli, Ariaster B. Title: The Use of Violence in Illegal Markets: Evidence from Mahogany Trade in the Brazilian Amazon Summary: Agents operating in illegal markets cannot resort to the justice system to guarantee property rights, to enforce contracts, or to seek protection from competitors’ improper behaviors. In these contexts, violence is used to enforce previous agreements and to fight for market share. This relationship plays a major role in the debate on the pernicious effects of the illegality of drug trade. This paper explores a singular episode of transition of a market from legal to illegal to provide a first piece of evidence on the causal effect of illegality on systemic violence. Brazil has historically been the main world producer of big leaf mahogany (a tropical wood). Starting in the 1990s, policies restricting extraction and trade of mahogany, culminating with prohibition, were implemented. First, we present evidence that large scale mahogany trade persisted after prohibition, through misclassification of mahogany exports as “other tropical timber species.” Second, we document relative increases in violence after prohibition in areas with: (i) higher share of mahogany exports before prohibition; (ii) higher suspected illegal mahogany activity after prohibition; and (iii) natural occurrence of mahogany. We believe this is one of the first documented experiences of increase in violence following the transition of a market from legal to illegal. Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor, 2011. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper, No. 5923: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp5923.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Homicides Shelf Number: 122631 |
Author: PriceWaterhouseCoopers Title: Economic Crimes Survey: Brazil, 2009 Summary: It is with great pleasure that PricewaterhouseCoopers presents the 5th Global Economic Crimes Survey - 2009, developed with the ultimate goal of capturing the perception of respondents regarding economic crimes, especially in the environment of the economic downturn experienced in the last 12 months. The survey addresses how the effects of the crisis have triggered economic crimes and how the post-crisis economic recovery may impact this crisis-stricken environment. By examining the data, the relationship between the crisis and the incidence of economic crimes can be established, bearing in mind that the countries least affected by the economic slowdown recorded lower occurrences of fraud in comparison with the global figures. Although Brazil has stood out for its resistance and power to bounce back, the global economic downturn environment has contributed to making the country more susceptible to frauds as well as impairing its ability to perceive and monitor the occurrence of economic crimes in a timely manner. For Brazil, 40% of respondents reported a sharp drop in their financial performance in the last 12 months, whereas the global perception was 62% in the same period. In regard to the incidence of economic crimes in the same period, the rates in Brazil were lower than the global figures, namely, 24% for Brazil and 30% globally. Details: Sydney: PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2010. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2012 at http://www.pwc.com.br/pt/estudos-pesquisas/assets/pesq-crimes-economicos-10-ingles.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Economic Crimes (Brazil) Shelf Number: 124072 |
Author: Soares, Rodrigo T. Title: Organization and Information in the Fight against Crime: An Evaluation of the Integration of Police Forces in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil Summary: This paper explores the experience of information sharing, coordination, and integration of actions of the Civil and Military Polices in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the context of the IGESP program. The IGESP is based on the introduction of information management systems and organizational changes akin to those associated with COMPSTAT. All the evidence presented points to a causal effect of the IGESP on crime. The most conservative estimates indicate a reduction of 24% in property crimes and 13% in personal crimes. There is also evidence that the IGESP is associated with improved police response, measured by apprehension of weapons and clearance rates. We present one of the first set of causal estimates – with a clear identification strategy – of the impact of COMPSTAT-like programs. The results suggest that the coordination and informational gains represented by the program may constitute a first-order factor in a successful policy for fighting crime. Details: Unpublished paper, 2010. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2012 at: http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp5270.html Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Compstat Shelf Number: 124621 |
Author: Content First, LLC Title: Counterfeiting and Piracy in Brazil: The Economic Impact Summary: This report, commissioned by the Brazil-U.S. Business Council, reviews the economic costs of counterfeit and pirated goods for the Brazilian economy. Copies of software, compact discs, medicines, mobile phones, food and drink, car parts, tobacco products, and imitation designer fashions are sold every day in the huge Brazilian market of nearly 180 million consumers. New technology means that more goods than ever are vulnerable to copying. Counterfeiting and piracy hurt not only companies doing business in Brazil, but in turn, all Brazilians. Major industries, such as software and music, lose more than half of their sales to these illegal activities. Consequently, there are fewer jobs for Brazilians, the government collects less tax revenue, Brazilian consumers must pay higher prices for inferior products, and counterfeited products endanger the health and safety of consumers. Measuring the full economic impact of counterfeiting and piracy is hard because these activities are clandestine. Even the Brazilian government lacks official data on the economic damages caused by the sales of counterfeit or pirated goods. Despite these limitations, a review of the best available industry estimates indicates that at least $1.6 billion in sales are lost every year to counterfeiting and piracy. The copyright industry alone estimates yearly losses of nearly $800 million. Industry estimates also show that Brazil would net $500 million a year in lost cigarette tax revenue if counterfeiting or piracy were reduced or eliminated. The data developed for this report are based on a survey of major industry sectors, interviews with trade association representatives, and a review of existing reports and literature. Details: Washington, DC: Brazil-U.S. Business Council, 2004. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 10, 2012 at: http://www.iccwbo.org/uploadedFiles/BASCAP/Pages/Counterfeiting_and_Piracy_in_Brazil%5B1%5D.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Counterfeiting Shelf Number: 124913 |
Author: Silva, Jailson de Souza Title: Brazil Children in Drug Trafficking: A Rapid Assessment Summary: The central subject of this Rapid Assessment to investigate the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) is the involvement of children in the drug trafficking business, in low-income communities, “Favelas”, in Rio de Janeiro. This study seeks to establish the variables that best explain why children enter and take part in this line of activity. The project was commissioned to the Instituto de Estudos Trabalho e Sociedade - IETS, a Brazilian NGO, recognized as a public interest organization by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice. IETS forms a network of researchers from a diverse set of Rio de Janeiro’s main academic and research institutions. The institute aims to generate and induce the generation of information relevant to the investigation of poverty and inequality and to monitor, evaluate and propose initiatives in the field of public policy, seeking its reduction. The present project compiled and organized data concerning living standards of children working in drug trafficking schemes in several low-income communities in Rio de Janeiro. A workshop bringing together researchers, people active and interested in the field and representatives of grass-roots organizations who work in low-income areas was also an important part of the project. This enabled an exchange of knowledge and the production of new public policy proposals that may improve the circumstances at hand. This document starts with a presentation of some general socio-economic data of Rio de Janeiro, setting the background and context in which the children live. Next it provides a synthesis of the specific labour market for children and young adults in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, with particular stress on the indicators of 52 low-income communities. The theme’s general introduction is completed by a brief review of the literature on child and youth criminality and drug trafficking. The second chapter presents the methodology used in the project. In its main body, the document presents a number of tables that organize part of the data surveyed in the project. Firstly, tables of crimes and misdemeanors committed by children and adolescents in Rio de Janeiro from 1996 to 2000 are exposed, which have been provided by the Children’s Court ( Vara de Infância e Juve ntude). Next, the profile of the children is presented. Finally, views of different actors are exposed on the reasons that lead children to, and keep them working in, drug related activities, and on measures that should be undertaken to keep children from joining the trafficking business or to help them abandon the scene. The document is concluded by a brief description of the workshop, a final analysis of the activity and policy proposals to address the problem. Details: Geneva: International Labour Organization, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), 2002. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Investigating the Worst Forms of Child Labour No. 20: Accessed April 10, 2012 at: http://www.dreamscanbe.org/Reasearch%20Page%20Docs/Souza%20e%20Silva%20and%20Urani%20-%20Brazil%20Children%20in%20Drug%20Trafficki.pdf Year: 2002 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 124916 |
Author: Winter, Brian Title: Brazil's 'Gringo' Problem: Its Borders Summary: For the first 500 years of Brazil's history, pretty much anything that wanted to cross its borders could do so in relative peace, whether cattle, Indians or intrepid explorers. That era is now drawing to a close. Brazil's economic rise is forcing it to deal with a problem it long regarded as the sole concern of rich countries like the United States: the need to secure its borders and slow down a flood of drugs, illegal immigrants and other contraband. Brazil's prosperity has created a new consumer class of tens of millions of people who happen to live right next to the world's three biggest producers of cocaine: Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Brazil is now the world's No. 2 cocaine consumer, behind only the United States, according to U.S. government data. It is also a booming consumer of marijuana, ecstasy, and other narcotics. Details: New York: Thomson Reuters, 2012. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2012 at: http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/12/04/BrazilBorders.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Border Security Shelf Number: 125150 |
Author: Ramos, Silvia Title: Police Stops, Suspects and Discrimination in the City of Rio de Janeiro Summary: This paper presents the results of Abordagem Policial, Estereótipos Raciais e Percepções da Discriminação na Cidade do Rio de Janeiro (Police Stops, Racial Stereotypes and Perceptions of Discrimination in the City of Rio de Janeiro), a study carried out in 2003 by the CESeC and supported by the Ford Foundation. The research was designed around two main objectives. Our first aim was to gather information on the relationship between Rio’s citizens and its police, and specifically their experiences with police stops or blitz, identifying the possible variations in quantity and quality across racial and social lines and assessing the impact of police stops on the currently held opinions of police work. Our second aim was to investigate the mechanisms and criteria involved in the military police officer’s (the uniformed street cop) definition of a “suspect” in order to verify the possible influence of racial, class, or other social profiling. In other words, is the police definition of a suspect conditioned by that person’s social and racial status? We consider police stops ideal situations for the study of these topics since they involve direct contact between the police and the population, in which: a) citizens are not free to choose whether to initiate contact or not (in contrast with, for example, the decision to file a complaint or to call the police to solve a problem) and b) these encounters happen outside the context of criminal activity, irrespective of concrete information on which to base suspicion, and therefore are more conducive to the influence of stereotypes and prejudices. In theory, any citizen, male or female, traveling on foot, driving a car or using any other form of transportation, may be stopped and searched in the course of both routine police action and special crime fighting operations. In practice however, police stop only a fraction of the population, and it is well known that the practice is not random, but in fact selective and, as such, one that depends largely on previously held criteria for suspicion, be it physical appearance, attitude, place, time or circumstances, or even a combination of these and other factors. The city population, on the other hand, has its own ideas and expectations concerning the criteria adopted by the police force in such situations – ideas and expectations that may or may not be confirmed in the encounters experienced on the streets, which may or not change through concrete experience, and which may or may not coincide with opinions on how the police should act. The context of police stops provides us, therefore, not only with an objective basis for identifying profiles being adopted by the police force, but also with a privileged angle to observe the overlap between these profiles and the perception of citizens, between perception and experience, or, in other words, how images, expectations and stereotypes are played out between police and citizens in their day to day encounters. This study combined quantitative and qualitative methods. We began by interviewing militants of the black movement and young people involved in cultural activities in the shantytowns. Four focus groups were organized with young people of different regional and class backgrounds in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Apart from providing extremely rich qualitative material, this approach to the topic gave us firm grounds for building a questionnaire to be used in the quantitative survey. The second stage of the project consisted of a home survey carried out by Science – Sociedade Científica da Escola Nacional de Ciências Estatísticas (The Scientific Society of the National School for Statistical Sciences) – during June and July of 2003. For this survey a sample of 2250 people, statistically representative of the population of Rio between the ages of 15 and 65, completed a form with 79 questions designed to convey their experiences and perception of police stops in the city, as well as their general views on police, justice, public safety, and on racial and class discrimination. Open interviews with military police officers from different battalions of the municipality – low and high ranking officers – were also carried out with the objective of understanding the dynamics and the logic of the police stops and blitz, and also of registering the opinions held by different groups within the Military Police regarding the survey topics. We had originally planned to include focus groups with military police officers, and a sample survey of the Military Police in the State of Rio de Janeiro, but this stage of the project was abandoned because of numerous obstacles raised by the Rio de Janeiro Public Security Authorities to any survey being carried out within police institutions. The interviews that were carried out for this project, as well as previous studies by other authors and the analysis of technical documentation relative to the blitz became, therefore, this paper’s primary source of data on police stop procedures and the criteria used by the police for determining suspects. This preliminary report discusses some significant findings of the study done focusing on the practice of police stops. Complete results, including other types of experiences and perceptions related to the police will be part of the final report, soon to be published as a book. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Center for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship, University Candido Mendes, 2004. 16p. Source: Boletim Seguranca e Cidadania, Number 8: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2012 at http://www.ucamcesec.com.br/arquivos/publicacoes/boletim08ingles.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Police Behavior (Brazil) Shelf Number: 125204 |
Author: Banerjee, Onil Title: Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of forest concessions in Brazil a computable general equilibrium analysis Summary: Understanding the forces that drove policy in the past can inform our expectations of the effectiveness of policy implementation today. Historical analysis suggests that forest policies of countries with significant forested frontiers transition through stages reflecting the orientation of governments toward economic development on the frontiers, namely: settlement, protective custody and management. With respect to Amazonian forests, Brazil’s path is no exception from this trend. This dissertation begins by following the trajectory of forest policy in Brazil to identify its path through the stages of policy development. Brazil is on the cusp of a transition toward the management phase of policy development. As such, the question of whether this phase will represent a break from the historical tendency of largely ineffectual forest policy is addressed. For society to accept and support a forest policy, it should generate positive socio-economic and environmental benefits. Brazil’s Public Forest Management Law (2006) and specifically the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of implementing forest concessions, are taken as a proximate indicators of whether the transition to management will in fact increase the relevance of forest policy. To evaluate these impacts, two quantitative experiments are conducted. In the first, a static computable general equilibrium model is developed to evaluate the short-run policy effect on welfare, the forestry sector and levels of legal deforestation. Given the economic importance of illegal logging and illegal deforestation in Brazil, the second experiment explicitly models these sectors. A recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium modeling framework is employed to consider the medium-term implications of the policy, to shed light on the resulting economic transition path, and to assess the short-term costs and longer-term gains resulting from policy implementation. Results of this analysis can provide important insights on forest sector and deforestation dynamics to policy makers, industry and civil society such that complimentary policies and programs may be developed to maximize benefits and minimize any negative impacts resulting from the implementation of forest concessions. Details: Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, 2008. 216p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 15, 2012 at: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0022324/banerjee_o.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Forest Management Shelf Number: 125285 |
Author: Greenpeace Brazil Title: Broken Promises: How the Cattle Industry in the Amazon is Still Connected to Deforestation, Slave Labour and Invasion of Indigenous Land Summary: Following a three-year investigation, Greenpeace published a report in 2009 that revealed the cattle sector’s role as the key driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. "Slaughtering the Amazon" shows how national and international companies unwittingly participate in this destruction. The three largest companies processing meat and tanned leather in Brazil -JBS/Friboi, Minerva and Marfrig - signed a public agreement in October 2009 committing to no longer purchase cattle from ranches that have recently deforested or that are located on indigenous lands. Just two years later, Greenpeace analyzed government trade data from the Amazonian state of Mato Grosso and found that the supply chain of the largest of these companies, despite its commitments, still has connections to illegal deforestation, slave labour and invasion of indigenous land. In this publication, the authors present cases where JBS purchased cattle from properties in contravention of their agreement: properties situated within indigenous lands, on the slave labour blacklist compiled by the Labour Ministry or embargoed by IBAMA, which have supplied cattle to JBS from January 2011 to May 2011 (page 8). This discovery demonstrates weaknesses in the supply chain for responsible leather and meat products. Consumers buying products originating from JBS’ supply chain cannot be assured their products are responsibly sourced, meaning not contributing to deforestation and slave labour. Details: Sao Paulo, Brazil: Greenpeace Bracil, 2011. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2012 at: http://www.illegal-logging.info/item_single.php?it_id=1204&it=document Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Illegal Logging (Brazil) Shelf Number: 125309 |
Author: Banerjee, O. Title: Modeling Forest Sector Illegality in a Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium Framework: The Case of Forest Concessions in Brazil Summary: The Brazilian forest sector has undergone crisis due to complexities involved in investment in an insecure political environment, a regime of ambiguous property rights, forest sector illegality and enormous pressure for agricultural expansion. To address these challenges, Brazil’s Public Forest Management Law was approved in 2006 enabling private forest management on public forestland. By assessing the policy in a dynamic computable general equilibrium framework we find that household welfare improves and legal forestry grows at an accelerated rate. In the absence of improved monitoring and enforcement, however, forest concessions are shown to have a depressing effect on the price of forest land and accelerate illegal forestry operations. Details: Santiago, Chile: Twelfth Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, 2009. 43p. Source: Conference Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2012 at Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 126520 |
Author: Frischtak, Claudio Title: Crime, House Prices, and Inequality: The Effect of UPPs in Rio Summary: We use a recent policy experiment in Rio de Janeiro, the installation of permanent police stations in low-income communities (or favelas), to quantify the relationship between a reduction in crime and the change in the prices of nearby residential real estate. Using a novel data set of detailed property prices from an online classifi eds website, we fi nd that the new police stations (called UPPs) had a substantial effect on the trajectory of property values and certain crime statistics since the beginning of the program in late 2008. We also fi nd that the extent of inequality among residential prices decreased as a result of the policy. Both of these empirical observations are consistent with a dynamic model of property value in which historical crime rates have persistent effects on the price of real estate. Details: New York: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2012. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Staff Report No. 542: Accessed December 3, 2012 at: http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr542.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Prevention Shelf Number: 127112 |
Author: Wu, Tiffany Title: Media Narratives of Crime and the Favelas of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Summary: Brazil’s two largest urban metropolises, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, have traditionally received drastically different treatment on the world stage and in global as well as domestic media. Though the cities differ in terms of geography, historical development, and the roles each plays in the national economy, favelas—lower-income squatter settlements—have arisen in both. This work is a comparative case study of media narratives of crime and criminality in and around São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, employing framing analysis to tease out the representations embedded in domestically produced media. I find that the cities’ favelas are treated very differently, and propose an explanation based on variation in the spatial organization of the favelas: while São Paulo’s favelas are located in the periphery of the city, Rio’s favelas are dispersed throughout, juxtaposed with wealthy neighborhoods. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley, 2012. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed December 4, 2012 at: http://legalstudies.berkeley.edu/files/2012/05/Wu-Thesis-Final.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime (Brazil) Shelf Number: 127116 |
Author: Denyer-Willis, Graham Title: Urban Resilience in Situations of Chronic Violence Case Study of Sao Paulo, Brazil Summary: This report documents urban resilience to chronic violence in São Paulo. As one of the world’s largest urban conurbations, São Paulo is marked by contrasting patterns of urbanization. These patterns are emblematic of different examples of state-society relations and reflect the differing ways that the state has been present (or not) in the provision of goods and services. Specifically in downtown São Paulo, the state was a lead actor in directing urban development, enforcing regulations, providing infrastructure, ensuring security. In contrast, its presence on the poorer periphery was more distant, as this is where expansion was haphazard, homes self-constructed and security almost absent. These patterns of urbanizations are tied to different histories of violence as well as possibilities for resilience across São Paulo. This report examines how state-society relations condition community responses to violence. It explores the ways in which a community is constituted vis-à-vis the presence of the state and how this influences resilience in volatile security environments. It does so by focusing on two neighborhoods of São Paulo: Luz, in the historical center of the city, and Santo Diego, on the urban periphery, or periferia, a colloquial term in that carries heavy insinuations of criminalized space, unplanned sprawl and high rates of poverty and violence. This report examines how state-society relations condition community responses to violence. It explores the ways in which a community is constituted vis-à-vis the presence of the state and how this influences resilience in volatile security environments. It does so by focusing on two neighborhoods of São Paulo: Luz, in the historical center of the city, and Santo Diego, on the urban periphery, or periferia, a colloquial term in that carries heavy insinuations of criminalized space, unplanned sprawl and high rates of poverty and violence. Details: Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for International Studies; Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2012. 134p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2012 at Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Urban Areas Shelf Number: 127221 |
Author: Chioda, Laura Title: Spillovers from Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Bolsa Família and Crime in Urban Brazil Summary: This paper investigates the impact of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs on crime. Making use of a unique dataset combining detailed school characteristics with time and geo-referenced crime information from the city of São Paulo, Brazil, we estimate the contemporaneous effect of the Bolsa Famalia program on crime. We address the endogeneity of CCT coverage by exploiting the 2008 expansion of the program to adolescents aged 16 and 17. We construct an instrument that combines the timing of expansion and the initial demographic composition of schools to identify plausibly exogenous variations in the number of children covered by Bolsa Famaiia. We find a robust and significant negative impact of Bolsa Família coverage on crime. The evidence suggests that the main effect works through increased household income or changed peer group, rather than from incapacitation from time spent in school. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, 2012. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 30, 2013 at: http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp6371.html Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bolsa Familia Program Shelf Number: 127447 |
Author: Vetter, David M. Title: The Impact of the Sense of Security from Crime on Residential Property Values in Brazilian Metropolitan Areas Summary: Using a hedonic residential rent model for Brazil's metropolitan areas calibrated with micro data from Brazil's annual household survey, we estimate that increasing the sense of security in the home by one standard deviation would increase average home values by R$1,513 (US$757) or about US$13.6 billion if applied to all 18.0 million households in the study area. Our principal components analysis of sense of security and crime victimization variables indicates that higher income households tend to feel more secure from crime in the home, even though theft and robbery victimization tend to rise with household income and rent. Higher levels of home protection measures by higher income households partially explain this. Details: Rio de Janeiro: David Vetter Consultoria Econômica Ltda., 2013. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed February 4, 2013 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37414262 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime (Brazil) Shelf Number: 127470 |
Author: Patricía Trindade Maranhão Costa Title: Fighting Forced Labour: The Example of Brazil Summary: For some fifteen years, since a new inter-ministerial body was created in 1995 to coordinate action against forced labour, Brazil has been addressing the problem with vigour and determination. It has done so in many ways, involving different government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, the media, academic organizations and others. Many of the measures taken are creative and unique, reflecting the need for extraordinary steps to deal with a severe human rights problem that can be difficult to identify, and even more difficult to punish through effective law enforcement in remote areas. Examples of these measures include: the creation of the National Commission to Eradicate Slave Labour (CONATRAE), responsible for the formulation and monitoring of the First and Second National Plans to prevent and eradicate forced labour; the creation of the Special Mobile Inspection Group under the Ministry of Labour, combining the efforts of specially trained and equipped labour inspectors and police officers; the establishment of labour courts in the areas most affected by forced labour; the government's ‘dirty list’, regularly updated, which names and shames those enterprises found to be employing forced labour; and the National Pact for the Eradication of Slave Labour, by which major companies not only commit to prevention and eradication of forced labour within their own organizations and their supply chains, but also agree to be monitored. Brazil has also developed perhaps the most effective media campaign in the world, amply supported by private contributions, to raise mass awareness of the problems caused by forced labour in the country today, and to mobilise public opinion for intensified action against it. Many of the measures taken are creative and unique, reflecting the need for extraordinary steps to deal with a severe human rights problem that can be difficult to identify, and even more difficult to punish through effective law enforcement in remote areas. Examples of these measures include: the creation of the National Commission to Eradicate Slave Labour (CONATRAE), responsible for the formulation and monitoring of the First and Second National Plans to prevent and eradicate forced labour; the creation of the Special Mobile Inspection Group under the Ministry of Labour, combining the efforts of specially trained and equipped labour inspectors and police officers; the establishment of labour courts in the areas most affected by forced labour; the government's ‘dirty list’, regularly updated, which names and shames those enterprises found to be employing forced labour; and the National Pact for the Eradication of Slave Labour, by which major companies not only commit to prevention and eradication of forced labour within their own organizations and their supply chains, but also agree to be monitored. Brazil has also developed perhaps the most effective media campaign in the world, amply supported by private contributions, to raise mass awareness of the problems caused by forced labour in the country today, and to mobilise public opinion for intensified action against it. The actions taken so far seem to have been the thread that has allowed the tangled web surrounding modern-day slavery to be unravelled. The wider participation of organized sectors of society and the State’s commitment to the established principles of human rights are fundamental to its eradication. The example of Brazil – both of its achievements and good practices, and of its difficulties and lessons learnt – should be disseminated throughout Latin America, where similar patterns of forced labour can be found. Details: Geneva, SWIT: ILO, 2009. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2013 at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_111297.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Forced Labor (Brazil) Shelf Number: 127586 |
Author: Carvalho, Leandro Title: Living on the Edge: Youth Entry, Career and Exit in Drug-Selling Gangs Summary: We use data from a unique survey of members of drug-trafficking gangs in favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to characterize drug-trafficking jobs and study the selection into gangs, analyzing what distinguishes gang-members from other youth living in favelas. We also estimate wage regressions for gang-members and examine their career path: age at entry, progression within the gangs’ hierarchy, and short- to medium-term outcomes. Individuals from lower socioeconomic background and with no religious affiliation have higher probability of joining a gang, while those with problems at school and early use of drugs join the gang at younger ages. Wages within the gang do not depend on education, but are increasing with experience and involvement in gang-related violence. The two-year mortality rate in the sample of gang-members reaches 20%, with the probability of death increasing with initial involvement in gang violence and with personality traits associated with unruliness. Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2013. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Working Discussion Paper No. 7189: Accessed February 15, 2013 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp7189.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Offenders Shelf Number: 127627 |
Author: Pint, Bianica Title: Exploring the Emergence of Organized Crime in Rio de Janeiro: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach Summary: This paper focuses on the emergence of criminal activity due to the unmet human needs of those living in Rio's favelas. An agent-based model is developed to explore how human needs, environmental factors, and individual attributes impact state-level behaviors. The emergence of organized crime is observed as "common" criminals turn into gang members. The prevention of conflict requires policies that anticipate responses and avoid conflict. By "re-creating" the current environment, we have the ability to potentially predict the onset of violence where it does not yet exist or understand the source of conflict in those areas already in the midst of violence. Details: Unpublished paper, 2010. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Paper presented at 2010 Second Brazilian Workshop on Social Simulation: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 127854 |
Author: Jovchelovitch, Sandra Title: Underground Sociabilities: Identity, Culture and Resistance in Rio de Janeiro's Favelas. Final Report Summary: Underground Sociabilities investigated pathways of exclusion and social development in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. It examined the lived world of favela communities and the work of two local organisations AfroReggae and CUFA, to systematise and disseminate effective experiences of social development. The project comprised three studies: an investigation of the lifeworld of favela communities, a systematic study of favela organisations AfroReggae and CUFA and an investigation of elite external observers in the wider city. Our approach was psychosocial, ethnographic and multimethod: questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 204 favela residents analysis of documents pertaining to 130 projects of social development narrative interviews with 10 AfroReggae and CUFA leaders interviews with 16 external observers and partners, with special emphasis on the police Fieldwork was conducted between October 2009 and February 2011 in Rio de Janeiro. Four communities were studied: Cantagalo, City of God, Madureira and Vigário Geral. They were selected considering location in the city and link with AfroReggae and CUFA. Cantagalo and Vigário Geral fit the accepted definition of favelas, whereas City of God was built as a planned area for relocating favela-dwellers displaced from the city centre during the 1960s. Madureira is a formal neighbourhood surrounded by favelas. Theoretical inspiration was drawn from the concepts of sociability, social representations, imagination and psychosocial cartographies. Findings enabled the development of the concept of psychosocial scaffoldings. THE CONTEXT AND RESEARCH PROBLEM Rio is an unequal city; more than 20% of its population live in favelas. Residence in a favela impacts negatively on income, education, teenage pregnancy, literacy and mortality at young age. The rooting of drug trading in the favelas during the 1970s and 80s created parallel norms and regulations in favela communities and triggered a territorial war between drug trade factions and the police. Favela-dwellers were caught in-between. Violence, lack of services and socioeconomic deprivation in the favelas created social exclusion and separation between the favelas and the asphalted areas of Rio, known in the city as the division morro/asfalto (hill/asphalt). Favelas were pushed underground and became invisible, their diverse community life shut off by geographical, economic, symbolic, behavioural and cultural barriers. Since the 1990s new actors – young, mainly black, favela dwellers – entered the public sphere to organise responses to poverty, violence and segregation challenging the traditional model of the NGO and repositioning favela populations in the Brazilian public sphere. Details: London: London School of Economics and Political Science, Institute of Social Psychology, 2012. 158p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 26, 2013 at: http://www.psych.lse.ac.uk/undergroundsociabilities/pdf/Underground_Sociabilities_Final_Report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Cultural Activities Shelf Number: 128141 |
Author: Monteiro, Joana Title: Drug Battles and School Achievement: Evidence from Rio de Janeiro's Favelas Summary: This paper examines the effects of armed conficts between drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro's favelas on student achievement. To identify the causal effect of violence on education, we explore variation in violence that occurs across time and space when gangs battle over territories. The evidence indicates that these battles are triggered by factors often exogenous to local socioeconomic conditions, such as the imprisonment or release of a gang leader, betrayals and revenge. Within-school estimates indicate that students from schools exposed to violence score less in math exams. The effect of violence increases with conflict intensity, duration, and proximity to exam dates; and decreases with the distance between the school and the conflict location. There is no evidence that the effect of violence persists for more than one year. Finally, we find that school supply is an important mechanism driving the achievement results; armed conflicts are significantly associated with higher teacher absenteeism, principal turnover, and temporary school closings. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian Institute of Economics: 2013. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper 006: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: http://www.ie.ufrj.br/images/pesquisa/publicacoes/2013/TD_IE_006_2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Gangs Shelf Number: 129191 |
Author: Cardia, Nancy Title: Exposure to Violence: What impact this has on attitudes to violence and on social capital Summary: The speed of the process of urbanization is one of the causes of the poor quality of urban life in general and this in turn relates to the growth of violence, in particular of violent crime throughout Brazil._In 1940 about a third of Brazilians lived in urban areas (12 million people) and by 1991 that number had increased to 70 percent of the population (123 million people). The speed of the process of urbanization is one of the causes of the poor quality of urban life in general and this in turn relates to the growth of violence, in particular of violent crime throughout Brazil. Lack of political power and of political efficacy by the majority of the population is also the cause of poor urban environments and violence. Details: Sao Paula, Brazil: Center for the Study of Violence University of São Paulo, 2007. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: Year: 2007 Country: Brazil Keywords: Homicides Shelf Number: 129197 |
Author: Cardia, Nancy Title: Urban Violence in São Paulo Summary: Today homicide is the highest cause of death of young people in Brazil. Nancy Cardia, senior researcher at the University of São Paulo’s Center for the Study of Violence, examines urban violence in São Paulo arguing that violence has become a major public health problem. As in other countries, violence in Brazil is not homogeneously distributed throughout society. Violence is concentrated in certain cities and in specific areas of the cities. It victimizes young males living in the poorest areas of cities (the deprived areas at the peripheries of the cities which were opened up and made habitable by the people themselves) where the public services that now exist arrived precariously after people had settled the area. Cardia argues that the growth of violence is also being indirectly encouraged by federal, state and municipal government budget cuts resulting in less resources to invest in law enforcement and in a modicum of social safety networks: health, education, public services, and violence prevention programs. Cardia focuses on violence that is concentrated in the periphery of the Municipality of São Paulo, spilling over the borders to neighboring municipalities of the Metro area. Through an examination of the literature on the impact of violence on individuals and communities and a series of surveys taken in 1999, Cardia investigates why such deprived areas are the loci of this violence and how under stressful circumstances, these conditions can facilitate violence. Details: Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2000. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www.nevusp.org/downloads/down073.pdf Year: 2000 Country: Brazil Keywords: Homicides Shelf Number: 129220 |
Author: Kurchin, Mariana Kiefer Title: The Role of Municipalities and the 'New Paradigm' in Safety Public Policies in Brazil: An Analysis of the Process of Shifts in Public Policies Summary: After the democratic transition in Brazil (1984) public safety has become especially relevant in the country due to high rates of crime and the feeling of insecurity among the population, especially in big cities. In this context, prevention is presented in the last decade in response to the repressive policies that have not prevented the continued growth of violence in the country. Regarding public safety, the Brazilian Constitution stipulates in its art. 144 that public safety is carried out by a set of institutions. The list that follows this statement is composed by different (but only) police forces, which are the exclusive responsibility of the government of the provinces. In this scenario, there is a strong demand for active participation of municipalities in public safety policies by scholars and professionals who work with the topic. This debate was developed within the political arena whereas the legal field was delegitimize as the field of productions of new truths. This thesis seeks to understand the meaning of the decentralization of public safety policies in socio-legal terms, i.e. the production of meaning and new legal interpretation through social and political discourse and the relations between a new discourse and the possibilities of new practices. A shift in the discourse has altered in practice the terms of the debate in the field, but it was necessary to investigate whether the changes in the level of discourse, rather than the regulatory system are sufficient to alter the existing political model. Details: Onati, Spain: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, 2011. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Oñati Socio-Legal Series, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2011 : Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1737358 Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime (Brazil) Shelf Number: 129226 |
Author: Fraga, Paulo Cesar Pontes Title: Urban Brazil: Drug Trafficking and Violence Summary: Throughout the 1980s, Brazil has gone through a phenomenon classified by experts as an epidemiological transition. In the beginning of this period, infectious-parasitic diseases were the leading cause of mortality in the population. By the end of the 80s, these had fallen to second place, after external causes or violent deaths. At the beginning of the decade, violence was the fourth cause of death. Aside from being a public health problem, the changes in these indicators brought changes in the behaviour of the population and in inter-institutional, cultural and social relations. Violence has become more visible in Brazilian society. A paradoxical aspect of this phenomenon is that increases in violence, most notably criminal violence, intensified at the end of the military dictatorship and the beginning of the transition to democracy. Coincidentally, it was in 1989 – the year of the first free presidential elections since 1960 – that external causes (violence) became the leading cause of death. In other words, the period of the military regime, which maintained its power through a constant and indiscriminate use of extreme violence – such as arbitrary and illegal persecutions and imprisonment, torture of political and common prisoners, assassinations of leftist political leaders and/or those opposed to the regime – had lower rates of violent death than the civilian government administrations that followed. As we will see further on, in the 1990s there was a new upsurge in these indicators. The fact is that the same system of domination by elites was prevalent under both the military and civilian governments. The reestablishment of open elections was not capable of generating effectively democratic institutions in which the people trusted and which could be controlled by society. Analyses point out that, far from legitimate uses of violence and the construction of a consensus, security forces resorted to abuse of power and torture in order to control certain sectors of the population. Further, corruption also became characteristic of police action – a practice that existed in the authoritarian period and intensified after the end of the dictatorship, representing an institutional continuity. Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2004. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Drugs and Conflict No. 11: Accessed July 3, 2013 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/archives/crime-docs/RioDC11.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 129239 |
Author: Foley, Conor Title: Another Systems Is Possible: Reforming Brazilian Justice Summary: silent revolution is transforming the Brazilian justice system, challenging some of its most archaic practices through new innovations. These seek to provide a fairer, faster criminal justice service, but also to tackle the roots of violent crime. Changes are taking place at the constitutional, institutional, legislative and practical level. Many of the most creative innovations started locally before being scaled up to national projects. This book brings together some of the voices of those involved in the reform process to reflect on their own experiences and their wider applicability. The Brazilian justice system has rightly attracted international notoriety in the past because of the scale of its problems. However, the success stories contained in this book also show how reform is possible given political will. The process is ongoing and still faces enormous challenges. Brazil’s experiences of justice sector reform may be of direct relevance to other countries of similar levels of social, economic and political development and some of the projects described in this book may provide models that others can learn from. Details: London: International Bar Association, 2012. 192p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2013 at: http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=60ad9251-7e9a-4e19-b275-410ea7319f5c Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Justice Reform Shelf Number: 129493 |
Author: International Bar Association. Human Rights Institute Title: One in Five: The crisis in Brazil’s prisons and criminal justice system Summary: The number of prisoners and pre-trial detainees in Brazil is rising rapidly and there is widespread agreement that the current criminal justice and penal system is dysfunctional. In November 2009, the National Council of Justice announced that out of the cases it has reviewed so far, one in five pre-trial detainees have been imprisoned irregularly, which suggest that the nationwide problem is extremely serious. The Brazilian criminal justice and penal system has been the subject of numerous expert reports denouncing its failings, and there have also been ad hoc attempts to deal with different aspects of its problems. The system also appears to violate Brazil’s own laws and constitutional provisions for the protection of human rights. While formally committing itself to extensive protection of the rights of its citizens, the Brazilian Government claims that hostility to the concept amongst its own officials and a large section of the public is one of the key impediments to criminal justice reform. The first section of this report provides a summary overview of numerous recent reports and studies by UN monitoring bodies as well as international and national human rights organisations into the violations of rights that are being perpetrated by and in the Brazilian penal system. The overall trend within the Brazilian criminal justice system is to sentence more defendants to prison than are being released, which has overwhelmed the capacity of the already overcrowded penal system – this looks set to continue. A huge backlog of cases has built up leading to increasing delays in the court system, and over 80 per cent of prisoners cannot afford a lawyer. Many people are imprisoned irregularly, spend years in pre-trial detention or remain in prison after the expiry of their sentence due to bureaucratic incompetence or systemic failings. Severe overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, gang violence and riots blight the prison system, where ill-treatment, including beatings and torture, are commonplace. Although the government has announced several reforms to tackle the problems identified, in practical terms little has changed over the last decade. This suggests that the failings are deep-rooted and systemic, so need to be addressed in a holistic way. The second section of this report describes the formal protection of human rights in the Brazilian criminal justice system, but also explains why these guarantees remain largely on paper. An understanding of why the Brazilian state appears to violate so many of the human rights that its own laws and Constitution guarantee requires some description of the historical political context in which the relationship between them developed. This took on a critical importance during the transition from dictatorship to democracy and its legacy continues to strongly influence Brazilian society and politics, with many Brazilians associating the transition to democracy with the large increase in violent crime that has occurred in the country. The third section focuses on the institutions constitutionally mandated to protect human rights within the Brazilian criminal justice system. While Brazil’s current Constitution and many of its laws provide extensive protection, the institutions charged with upholding these rights often fail to do so. This may be because many of these corporatist institutions remain largely unreformed from the dictatorship era and have sought to shield themselves from democratic scrutiny and control. The final section describes some of the local initiatives that have been undertaken to bring justice closer to the people in Brazil. An effective reform strategy must deal with the issue of criminal justice reform comprehensively. The problems regarding access to justice in pre-trial detention cannot be treated in isolation from the context of the crisis in the Brazilian criminal justice system, and the broader problem of tackling crime in society. Focusing on trying to fix one specific area, through new laws or the creation of new institutions, could make the current situation worse by adding fresh layers of bureaucracy and confusion to an already dysfunctional system. This report argues that more effort needs to be put into making the existing parts of the system work better together and encouraging the development of incremental, community-led and home-grown reform. Defensoria Pública is the body constitutionally-mandated to provide free legal assistance to those who need it, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute strongly endorses the repeated calls that have been made for this to be strengthened. There are also a variety of other groups attempting to develop responses to the current crisis within their criminal justice system. Supporting their creative ingenuity to ‘find a way around the obstacles that exist’ (jeitinho brasileiro) should be an essential part of the reform process. Details: London: International Bar Association, 2010. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2013 at: http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=D4CBAA59-1F9B-41B0-92CA-1B964AC29AC9 Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Justice Reform Shelf Number: 129494 |
Author: World Bank Title: Bringing the State Back Into the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro: Understanding Changes in Community Life after the UPP Pacification Process Summary: For many years, Rio de Janeiro has held the dubious distinction of being one of the world's most beautiful cities, and at the same time, one of the most dangerous. The city's expansive beaches and five-star hotels sit alongside informal settlements (favelas) spread over the hills where, until recently, murder rates were among the highest in the world. With the rise in the global drug trade in the 1980s, many of Rio's favelas were taken over by drug gangs, who controlled virtually all aspects of economic and social life. Over several decades, the state of Rio de Janeiro tried, and failed, to establish a permanent presence in the favelas - always rolling in with a muscular offensive and, just as abruptly, retreating again. This report is the story of Rio's attempt to break with history and establish a new kind of state presence in its favelas. In 2008, the state government of Rio de Janeiro launched the Police Pacification Units (Unidades de Policia Pacicadora, UPP), with the aim of regaining control of the territories from organized crime, disarming the drug traffic, and enabling the social, economic, and political integration of favelas into the city. This pacification was intended to shift control of the favelas from the drug gangs and militias to the Brazilian state - literally from one day to the next - and provide their residents with the same kind of citizenship rights enjoyed by the rest of the city. This report documents how life in the favelas is changing as a result of the UPP pacification effort, as seen through the eyes of favela residents themselves. Until now, studies of UPP have consisted largely of baseline surveys of quality of life at the entry of UPP or quantitative analyses about changes in crime and real estate prices, based on secondary data. This study aimed to fill gaps in understanding by documenting how the residents have experienced the arrival of UPP, and what they see the "UPP effect" has been. The findings are meant to inform the implementation of UPP as it is rolled out to additional favelas over the next couple of years. The report explores perceptions of change in three main areas: (i) social interactions and community life within the favela, (ii) the relationship of residents with police, and (iii) the integration of the favelas into the broader city in terms of public services, economic opportunities, and removal of stigma. This study used a qualitative, case-study approach and consisted of observations, focus groups, and key informant interviews in four favelas. The fieldwork was conducted between February and October 2011. Among the four favelas selected as case studies, three have received the UPP program at different times: Babilonia/Chapeu Mangueira, 2008; Pavao-Pavaozinho/Cantagalo, 2009; and Borel/ Casa Branca, 2010. The fourth, Manguinhos, had not received an UPP by the time that the fieldwork was carried out and this report was concluded, and back then remained largely under the control of drug gangs, and was therefore included as a control case. Hence, the report will still refer to Manguinhos as the case with no UPP. The case studies were selected to maximize variation in terms of (i) time of entry of UPP (to capture potential changes made in UPP strategy), (ii) geographical and socioeconomic context in which favelas were located (affluent South, middle class and poor North zones), and (iii) prior and current histories with public works projects. Details: Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2012. 136p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2013 at: Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 131400 |
Author: Koppensteiner, Martin Foureaux Title: The Effect of Violence on Birth Outcomes: Evidence from Homicides in Rural Brazil Summary: This paper uses microdata from Brazilian vital statistics natality and mortality data between 2000 and 2010 to estimate the impact of in-utero exposure to local violence -measured by homicide rates- on birth outcomes. Focusing on small communities, where it is more plausible that local homicide rates reflect actual exposure to violence, the analysis shows that exposure to violence during pregnancy leads to deterioration in birth outcomes: one extra homicide during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the probability of low birthweight by around 6 percent. Results are particularly pronounced among children of poorly educated mothers, implying that violence compounds the disadvantage that these children already suffer as a result of their households' lower socioeconomic status. Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, Institutions for Development, 2013. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: IDB Working Paper Series No. IDB-WP-416: Accessed November 1, 2013 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37872082 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Children and Violence Shelf Number: 131582 |
Author: ECPAT International Title: Sexual Exploitation of Children in Brazil: Putting a spot on the problem Summary: Sexual exploitation of children in Brazil is a problem which causes inconceivable, physical and psychological traumas to the victims, who are at this very moment largely unknown to politicians and the public. The lack of knowledge of the problem makes it difficult for organizations to help the victims, living in the fringes of society, and to prosecute the child abusers, who are largely grown up men, both locals and foreigners. The invisibility of the problem encouraged child protection organizations Terre des Hommes, Plan, ECPAT and Free a Girl to issue a research on the scope and magnitude of the problem of sexual exploitation in Brazil. No such research had been conducted before and figures in reports and articles on the issue vary, leading to guestimates, quite often contradictory to each other. Sexual exploitation of children however seems to exist throughout the country, there is not a town in Brazil that goes without a case of sexual exploitation of children. The information gathered during this research suggests that we still only have the tip of the iceberg in view. Previous research proves that victims of sexual exploitation develop a negative self-image, leading to shame, fear and self-destructive behaviour, ranging from social isolation, promiscuity to even suicide. Besides, the children are often physically molested, which causes permanent physical damage and sexually transmitted diseases, to the extent of HIV. This downward spiral produces generations of sexually exploited children, not capable to fight and overcome their situations, hence the importance of strengthened efforts by the Brazilian government and NGOs to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and to provide adequate legal, social, medical and psychological support to the victims. The urgency of the problem could increase as this summer's FIFA World Cup may exacerbate the sexual exploitation of children by people who seize the opportunity of being anonymous in a foreign country. Moreover, the construction of infrastructure and the construction of stadiums, hotels and shopping malls in the cities where the World Cup will take place attracts workers from all over Brazil, leading to an increased risk of these construction workers turning to commercial sex with minors, before and during the games. Furthermore, displacement of communities and forced evictions for infrastructure development is commonplace. This leads to broken traditional support systems and eventually to the increased vulnerability of children and their families to, amongst others, become victim of sexual exploitation. Details: Bangkok, Thailand: ECPAT, 2014. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://www.defenceforchildren.nl/images/13/3096.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Prostitution Shelf Number: 132555 |
Author: Prouse, Carolyn Title: Framing the World cUPP: Competing Discourses of Favela Pacification as a Mega-Event Legacy in Brazil Summary: In November of 2010, Brazilian military and police officers rolled through the streets of Complexo de Alemao, Rio de Janeiro's largest favela, in an effort to 'take back' the community from notorious drug traffickers in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Given the pervasive rhetoric that the occupation of favelas by the 'pacifying' Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (UPP) program is for these mega events, what are the effects of this framing, and how is it used and contested by multiple actors? What subjects are called into being as a 'threat' through discourses regarding the UPPs, and how does this rhetoric legitimate violent practices of security by the state? Employing Judith Butler's concepts of framing and the constitutive outside, I argue that there are multiple and competing discourses that frame UPP military police interventions, which have important legacy ramifications for Brazil's mega events. In general, many international popular media accounts highly decontextualize and exoticize the space of the favela, constituting a site of threatening, yet consumable, Otherness. The state tends to construct simplistic dichotomies of space and subjects as threatening in order to legitimate its own actions. However, many favela inhabitants are reframing these constitutions to undermine the state's attempts at legitimation and bring into relief the historical and socio-political continuities of Brazilian militarization. Details: RASAALA, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2012): 17 p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2014: https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/rasaala/article/view/2219/2714 Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crowd Control Shelf Number: 132723 |
Author: Kar, Dev Title: Brazil: Capital Flight, Illicit Flows, and Macroeconomic Crises, 1960-2012 Summary: This September 2014 study from Global Financial Integrity found that more than US$400 billion flowed illegally out of Brazil between 1960 and 2012-draining domestic resources, driving the underground economy, exacerbating inequality, and facilitating crime and corruption. The Brazilian economy lost at least US$401.6 billion in illicit financial outflows from 1960 to 2012. These outflows represent the proceeds of crime, corruption, and tax evasion, and have serious negative consequences for Brazil. Outflows were found to drain resources from the Brazilian economy, to drive the underground economy, and to exacerbate inequality. Furthermore, the report found that illicit outflows are growing. Annual average illicit outflows increased from US$310 million in the 1960s to US$14.7 billion in the first decade of the twenty first century before jumping to US$33.7 billion over the last three years of the study, 2010-2012. On average, Brazil's illicit outflows are equivalent to 1.5% of the country's official GDP. Details: Washington, DC: Global Financial Integrity, 2014. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: http://www.gfintegrity.org/report/country-case-study-brazil/ Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 133183 |
Author: Brazil Ministry of Justice Title: Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Border Areas Summary: Behind the scenes of the festivities surrounding Brazil's hosting of the football World Cup this summer, vulnerable Brazilians and immigrants were being trafficked into exploitation for many different purposes, including football itself. New research on trafficking in children, women and men at the Brazilian land borders identified forms of exploitation that were previously unknown to policy-makers and researchers. From the Amazon to the Iguazu Falls, a team of researchers conducted field research in the regional capitals of all eleven border states in Brazil - along a land border that is 16,886 km long, and separates Brazil from nine other South American countries and a French overseas territory. The resulting research report, Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Border Areas of Brazil, was launched in Portuguese in Brasilia late last year and has just been published in English and Spanish. Brazil's recent rapid economic growth, largely based on tapping into its vast natural resources, has led to situations of labour and sex trafficking for men, women and children. Both Brazilian and foreign, they are exploited at hydroelectric power plants, in mines, on plantations and on cattle ranches. Some children and adults were also identified as trafficked for exploitation in illegal activities, such as illegal logging, drug cultivation, drug trafficking and the smuggling of contraband goods. Sexual exploitation remains the most common form of trafficking identified, and affects girls, boys, young transgender women and girls, and adult women, both with and without prior experience working in the sex industry. Girls from impoverished rural families are also trafficked into wealthier families under the guise of an informal fostering system that would allow them to receive an education. This system is then abused to exploit the girls through domestic work. Boys are taken to and from Brazil with promises of success as professional footballers, but neither they nor their families receive the promised payments. A clear geographical pattern emerges from this research, which was funded by the Brazilian government and coordinated by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), headquartered in Vienna, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Sexual exploitation was most commonly reported in the Northern border region, whereas forced labour was more commonly identified in the Centre and South Region. The report also reveals a pattern to the profiles of trafficked people; some indigenous groups, women, children and transgender women can be more vulnerable. While there may be some fear of reporting trafficking and exploitation to the authorities, many trafficked people and their families are in such a state of economic and social vulnerability that they see no viable alternative to being trafficked and exploited in order to survive. The Brazilian Minister of Justice, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, who launched the research in Brasilia in October of last year, calls trafficking an "underground" crime, because of the lack of police records. According to Cardozo, 'the research identified a permissive culture that legitimises the commission of the crime. Without numbers, it is difficult to carry out an efficient investigation and to effectively combat trafficking.' Among the recommendations ensuing from the assessment is for Brazil to develop its migration policy with a focus on providing assistance to migrants, including trafficked people, as well as to improve local service provision and public policies to ameliorate the individual, social and situational vulnerability of potential trafficking victims in the border area. Clearly, the opportunity to earn an income through some form of decent work would go a long way in preventing these situations from arising. Details: Brussels: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), 2013. . 270p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 11, 2014 at: http://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/ICMPD-Website/ICMPD_General/Publications/2014/Enafron_IN_web.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Border Security Shelf Number: 133281 |
Author: Greenpeace Title: Logging: The Amazon's Silent Crisis Summary: A two year Greenpeace investigation has confirmed that logging in the Amazon is still out of control and often taking a predatory form. Governance in the timber sector in the Brazilian Amazon is weak and open to exploitation, allowing criminals launder illegal timber as legal with official documentation. It is estimated that in Para State the largest producer and exporter of timber in Brazil, 78% of logging occurring there is illegal. Greenpeace investigated specific cases of the sector's systemic crime and found links between cases of fraud and the global marketplace. The United States is the largest importer of Brazilian timber and companies like Lumber Liquidators, the country's largest national hardwood flooring retailer, has purchased wood from exporters that have bought wood from saw mills that have processed laundered timber. This investigation below discusses the Brazilian timber sector today and explains how the system is designed to fail and easily defrauded. Then the investigation illustrates on five emblematic case studies of timber laundering on a massive scale that until recently have flown under the radar. The investigation then follows the timber from the forest to the saw mill to the exporter to the USA, European Union, and Israel where valuable Amazon timber varieties like Ipe are utilized for walkways, piers, hardwood flooring, decking, and siding. Details: Amsterdam: Greenpeace, 2014. v.p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/forests/Our-current-projects/amazon-rainforest/Logging-The-Amazons-Silent-Crisis-/ Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Illegal Logging (Brazil) Shelf Number: 133317 |
Author: Bachan, Keshet Title: Girls in Cyberspace: Dangers and Opportunities. Summary: "Girls in Cyberspace: Dangers and Opportunities" examines both the challenges and empowering possibilities facing girls when accessing ICTs (Information Communication Technologies). In many ways, technology has facilitated girls' ability to do what they were already doing: connecting, learning and sharing. ICTs have also increased their opportunities to do these things and to interact beyond their immediate communities. Although adolescent girls are not a homogenous group, and the way they choose to interact with ICTs may vary according to their location, social-economic status, capacity for mobility and personal inclination, there are some common threads emerging from Plan's analysis. Based on original research undertaken in Brazil by Plan for the 2010 "Because I am a Girl" report (together with the Child Protection Partnership), this paper will outline the opportunities ICTs provide adolescent girls and analyze the potential dangers and exploitative behaviours that are facilitated through them. Details: Warwick, RI: Plan-International, 2010. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 22, 2014 at: http://www.planusa.org/becauseiamagirl/docs/girlsincyberspace.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Protection Shelf Number: 133787 |
Author: Perez, Maria Fernanda Tourinho Title: Firearm-related violence in Brazil Summary: This report provides a summary of the major findings and conclusions of a research effort to create a comprehensive profile of firearm-related violence in Brazil. The research was undertaken and coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Violence at the University of Sao Paulo, and received technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Small Arms Survey (SAS). The WHO has drawn attention to the fact that violence is a major global public health problem through a variety of World Health Assembly resolutions and comprehensive reports such as the World report on violence and health. The statement that violence is a public health problem may not, at first view, be easily understandable. In Brazil, as in many other countries around the world, violence is traditionally approached almost exclusively as a public security problem, with major responses focused on police action and judicial mechanisms. However, this view is beginning to change, and there is increasing recognition of the role of the public health sector and perspective in preventing violence. A public health approach to violence promotes analysis of the distribution of violence and it's determinants, and advocates drawing from this analysis coherent preventive strategies which involve a variety of sectors, including the health sector. This does not mean that violence should be viewed only as a health problem, but that it is important to consider the effects of violence on public health and the potential contributions for preventing violence that can be made through the public health sector. In sum, a public health approach to violence advocates understanding violence through the study of its social determinants, knowing its frequency and distribution in population groups, identifying its risk factors, proposing preventive measures and evaluating and monitoring preventive actions. Thus, far from viewing violence only as a health problem, the public health approach argues that violence must be understood in terms of it's distribution and determinants, and that from understanding these complexities societies can engage in preventive measures. This is neither an easy task, nor is it the task of a single sector. Violence is a social problem with public health, development and security dimensions, and rising to meet this challenge will require the combined and coherent efforts of a broad variety of sectors - both governmental and non-governmental. While there have been a number of studies addressing violence within Brazil, particularly since the late 1980's, the specific issue of firearm-related violence has not always been addressed. Over and above this, many academic studies have tended to circulate mainly within academic networks, with relatively little impact on policy-making or practitioners of violence prevention. The purpose of this publication is to provide a means for the broad dissemination of the summary results of an extensive research undertaking regarding firearm-related violence in Brazil, and in particular to underline the policy-oriented relevance of this work. We hope to contribute to the public debate, as well as towards the formulation of new proposals for such a serious problem in the country. Preventing firearm-related violence will require multi-sectoral approaches. The WHO's World report on violence and health rightly draws attention to the fact that no single factor is responsible for any form of violence. Firearm-related violence, like all other forms of violence, arises from a complex interaction of determinants that can be situated at the level of the individual, their relationships, the community, and society. Multi-sectoral and integrated preventive measures that include structural measures to reduce inequity are essential. Furthermore, the reduction of impunity, reforms within police, judicial and penitentiary systems are all necessary to reduce perceived insecurity within the Brazilian population, particularly since perceived insecurity is the fundamental driver of demand for firearms. Ample evidence indicates that ready access to firearms dramatically increases the lethality of violent encounters, thereby augmenting feelings of fear and insecurity. As a result the demand for firearms fuels increasing insecurity, which fuels further demand for firearms and so on and so forth. The pages of this report demonstrate clearly that firearm-related violence has become an everyday fact of life within Brazilian society, and that this tragedy is experienced most acutely by Brazil's urban youth. Illicit trafficking in drugs and firearms, limited opportunities and perspectives on life for the young population, combined with a social context characterized by unemployment and huge socioeconomic disparities, all contribute to the strikingly high levels of firearm-related violence among Brazil's urban youth. It is beyond the scope of this work to answer all questions about armed violence in Brazil, and this has not been our intent. Our intent has been - through the presentation of a comprehensive profile of firearm-related violence within the country - to contribute to the recognition of the scale and characteristics of this problem, and to advance the case that a broad grouping of sectors within Brazil need to move forward in developing coherent solutions to the problem of firearm-related violence. Details: Sao Paulo: Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2004. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://www.nevusp.org/downloads/down131.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Firearms Shelf Number: 134182 |
Author: Peters, Danya J. Title: Public Acquiescence of Police Brutality and Extrajudicial Killings in Sao Paulo, Brazil Summary: The purpose of the current research was to take a social psychological approach to understanding public acquiescence and support for extra legal police violence in Brazil. Data were drawn from research conducted by NEV- CEPID/FAPESP. The sample consisted of 1000 youth and adults age 16 and greater in the city of Sao Paulo who were representative of the general population based on sex, age, education level, occupation, and geographic area (with an oversampling of people from violent neighborhoods). T-tests and ANOVA techniques were utilized to explore group differences in support for citizen and police extra-legal violence based on race, social class, and gender. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then used to estimate a mediational model of the relationships between environmental influences (direct and indirect victimization, as well as the presence of neighborhood incivilities), general justice related judgments and paradigms (the justice system as inefficient and ineffective, the traditional human rights paradigm, and the emerging human rights paradigm) and support for specific kinds of extra legal violence (support for citizen vigilante justice, support for procedural violence by the police, and support for retributive violence by the police). As hypothesized, direct victimization, indirect victimization, and neighborhood incivilities were all positively associated with fear of crime. In turn, fear of crime was negatively associated with adopting the emerging human rights paradigm and positively associated with viewing the justice system as inefficient and ineffective. Unexpectedly, fear of crime was not associated with a more traditional human rights paradigm. However, the emerging human rights paradigm was negatively associated with support for citizen vigilante justice, as well as support for procedural and retributive violence by the police. Conversely, the traditional human rights paradigm was positively associated with support for all three types of violence. Furthermore, viewing the justice system as inefficient and ineffective was positively associated with support for citizen vigilant justice and retributive violence, but, unexpectedly, was not related to support for procedural violence. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed. Details: Reno, NV: University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. 125p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 21, 2014 at: http://www.nevusp.org/downloads/down159.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Extrajudicial Homicides Shelf Number: 134184 |
Author: World Bank Title: Making Brazilians safer : analyzing the dynamics of violent crime Summary: This report analyzes the dynamics of violent crime in Brazil. What factors are driving the overall crime decline in Brazil? Why is violent crime declining in some states while it is increasing in others? What types of interventions could help to reduce youth violence? These are the questions that motivate this report. Understanding what has gone right to bring crime down during the past 10 years is crucial to tackling the challenges posed by the new decade. The purpose of this report is to enhance that understanding. To do so, we examine the determinants of the crime shift at the national level, review the experience of the high-performing states, and generate new evidence on the impact of education policies on youth violence prevention. This report is organized in four chapters. Chapter one sets the stage for the issues covered in the report. Chapter two estimates the correlation of the change in crime in Brazil and across regions and states. Chapter three reviews the evidence on the policies implemented to reduce crime and violence in Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro. Chapter four presents findings on the impact of school enrollment on youth crime and violence prevention. The last section summarizes key lessons. Details: Washington DC : World Bank, 2013. 112p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 9, 2015 at: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/03/15/000442464_20130315123229/Rendered/PDF/707640ESW0REVI0ics0of0Violent0Crime.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Delinquency Prevention Shelf Number: 134568 |
Author: Beer, Marit de Title: Locked up in the tropics: Coping strategies among female prisoners of the State Prison of Bahia, Brazil Summary: The social position of many Bahian women is characterized by poverty, inequality, discrimination and marginalization. This 'second class citizenship' is the reason these women are more likely to commit a crime, as well as being sentenced to prison for it. In prison, their inferior social position is reconfirmed by harsh living conditions, the absence of facilities, weak legal assistance and ongoing discrimination by prison staff, family, and other citizens. My research showed that very low self-esteem among the female inmates has become the resulting leading thread which determines their capacity to cope with the stresses of prison life. How the prisoners of the Conjunto Penal Feminino in Salvador (Bahia, Brazil) dealt with their problems depended, on the one hand, on the changeability of the stressor and is, on the other hand, influenced by their personal life experiences. Good rehabilitation programs appeared to be absent at the Conjunto Penal Feminino da Bahia, where education and work have actually proven to be very important factors in lifting the prisoners' self-esteem and creating future possibilities for them. This is increasing the risk of reoffending and, again, confirms the women's status as 'incomplete' citizen. This way, a vicious circle is set into motion that is difficult to interrupt. Institutional coping strategies is what can, and should be improved by the Conjunto Penal Feminino da Bahia. Details: Utrecht: Utrecht University, 2010. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Master's Essay: Accessed February 18, 2015 at: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/198753/Beer,%20M.%20de%20-%20Locked%20up%20in%20the%20tropics.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Female Inmates (Brazil) Shelf Number: 134644 |
Author: Foley, Conor Title: Pelo telefone: Rumors, truths and myths in the 'pacification' of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro Summary: The phenomenon of humanitarian engagement with situations of urban violence has attracted growing interest from academics, and practitioners in recent years. Yet the subject remains shrouded with myths and misconceptions. Much violence in the world today takes place outside formal conflict zones, in what are sometimes referred to as 'fragile settings'. The purpose of the paper is to provide a detailed, factual assessment of one such operation, the so-called 'pacification' of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, written from a humanitarian and human rights perspective. Since the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11th September 2001 and the subsequent US-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, some have argued that fragile states represent a threat to international peace and security. This has triggered a range of responses by both national governments and the UN Security Council, which are increasingly referred to under the common rubric of stabilization. The UN missions to Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo both feature 'stabilization' as a central goal and there is a growing literature describing the interrelationship between 'stabilization', counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, peacebuilding, state-building, early recovery and development. In some cases these operations have been led by international armed forces, often mandated by the Security Council under its Chapter VII powers, while in others they have been carried out by national governments themselves. In both cases there has sometimes been doubt about the legal framework governing such operations, particularly where they have involved soldiers as well as the police. Rhetoric about a global 'war on terror', which was preceded by the so-called 'war on drugs', has been used by some to argue that international human rights law could be suspended, or displaced by the more permissive laws of armed conflict, which, by turning criminals into combatants, gives the security forces a license to kill. At the same time, the supposed benefits of bringing to bear military planning, strategy and coordination has excited policy-makers frustrated by the failures of traditional policing in some settings. Operations such as the one described in this paper have attracted international attention because they appear to offer lessons both to those involved in formal counter-insurgency situations and to those struggling to uphold law and order in the face of extreme crime and violence. For humanitarians, accustomed to working in complex emergencies, this places the old dilemmas of host-state consent and civil-military cooperation in a new, and sometimes unsettling context when delivering social services or stimulating economic activity in territories that have been 'pacified' or otherwise brought under state control. This paper does not seek to deny or diminish the achievements of the 'pacification' process. By driving organized armed gangs out of a significant number of Rio de Janeiro's favelas, the police have brought a relative degree of stability to places for the first time in a generation. At the same time, it will be argued, that the 'pacification' has not been the 'silver bullet' that is sometimes portrayed. The real lesson is that there is no short-cut from long-term reform of policing and the criminal justice system as well as tackling the corruption, poverty, inequality and social exclusion that give rise to states of fragility to begin with. Humanitarian action can also only ever be a palliative and agencies would be advised to continue with a gradual and incremental approach towards such engagement. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Humanitarian Actions in Situations other than War, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper 8: Accessed February 26, 2015 at: http://www.hasow.org/uploads/trabalhos/117/doc/1760478317.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Violence Shelf Number: 134709 |
Author: Cerqueira, Daniel R.C. Title: The Welfare Cost of Homicides in Brazil: Accounting for Heterogeneity in the Willingness to Pay for Mortality Reductions Summary: This paper estimates the health dimension of the welfare cost of homicides in Brazil incorporating age, gender, educational, and regional heterogeneities. We use the marginal willingness to pay approach from the "value of life" literature to assign monetary values to the welfare cost of increased mortality due to violence. The results indicate that the present discounted value of the welfare cost of homicides in Brazil corresponds to roughly 78% of the GDP or, measured in terms of yearly flow, 2.3%. The analysis also indicates that reliance on aggregate data to perform such calculations, without taking into account the relevant dimensions of heterogeneity, can lead to biases of the order of 20% in the estimated social cost of violence. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Institute of Applied Economic Research, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: TEXTO PARA DISCUSSION, No. 600: Accessed April 2, 2015 at: http://www.econ.puc-rio.br/pdf/td600.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Costs of Crime Shelf Number: 135143 |
Author: Koppensteiner, Martin Foureaux Title: Violence and Birth Outcomes: Evidence From Homicides in Brazil Summary: This paper uses microdata from Brazilian natality and mortality vital statistics between 2000 and 2010 to estimate the impact of in-utero exposure to local violence - measured by homicide rates - on birth outcomes. The estimates shows that exposure to violence during the first trimester of pregnancy leads to a small but precisely estimated increase in the risk of low birthweight and prematurity. Effects are found in both rural areas, where homicides are rare, and in urban areas, where violence is endemic. Our estimates imply that homicides in Brazil are responsible for at least 0.5 percent of the incidence of low birthweight (<=2.5 kg) and 3 percent of the incidence of extremely low birthweight (<=1 kg). Details: London: Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, 2015. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: CEP Discussion Paper No 1323: Accessed April 20, 2015 at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1323.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Children and Violence Shelf Number: 135269 |
Author: Merces, Fernando Title: The Brazilian Underground: A Market for Cybercriminal Wannabes? Summary: The Cybercriminal Underground Economy Series (CUES) has established that there is a booming underground market where cybercriminals can buy and sell products and services they use for their activities. This thriving market has provided attackers with the tools and knowledge needed to break barriers and launch cybercrime attacks. Very much like any other market, the laws of supply and demand dictate prices of the products and services being offered. The availability of materials used to inflict harm has increased: toolkits are more visible and their prices are getting cheaper. Interestingly enough, as the prices went lower, the features grew richer. In our continuing effort to closely observe booming underground markets scattered in different countries across the globe, this Trend Micro research paper closely looks at the continuing maturity of the Brazilian underground despite the lack of development in available tools and tactics. Similar to other cybercriminal underground markets like those that exist in China and Russia, the Brazilian underground possesses unique characteristics such as the use of popular social media platforms to commit fraud instead of hiding in the deep recesses of the Web with tools that ordinary users normally don't have access to. Cybercrooks in Brazil make use of popular mediums such as social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, and WhatsApp, as these have turned out to be effective venues. Notably, the underground scene in Brazil also has players that market number generators and checkers or testers for more than just credit cards. They offer tools created for attacks against products and services exclusive in Brazil while also offering training services for cybercriminal wannabes. The Underground Market Scene: Product Offerings: Banking Trojans: Brazil has been known for banking Trojans created by Brazilians to target banking customers in the country. Various Trojan-based techniques are being used to steal user credentials from bolware, including domain name system poisoning, fake browser windows, malicious browser extensions, and malicious proxies. Business application account credentials: Confidential data is of utmost value in Brazil, as in any underground market. In their cybercriminal underground market, credentials for popular business application services provided by Unitfour and Serasa Experian are being sold. Unitfour's online marketing service, InTouch, has the capability to keep and access potential or existing customers' personal information, which made it a target for cybercrooks. Such is the case with Serasa Experia, where plenty of information are used and sold for nefarious purposes. Online service account credential checkers: These are essentially tools used to validate account numbers for online services which they obtain by getting log in information from phishing campaigns. Phishing pages: In Brazil, creating phishing pages is simple-cybercriminals copy everything on the legitimate pages they wish to phish and change the destination the data collected goes to, such as a free webmail account that they own. This is how victims are redirected from legitimate websites without noticing it. Phone number lists: Phone number lists per town or city are usually offered by cybercriminals who sell spamming software and hardware. A mobile phone number list for a small town can be bought as well as home phone number lists used in phone-based scams. The list above is by no means comprehensive. Details: Irving, TX: Trend Micro, 2014. Source: Internet Resource: Cybercriminal Underground Economy Series: Accessed May 16, 2015 at: http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp-the-brazilian-underground-market.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Computer Crime Shelf Number: 135692 |
Author: Bruce, David Title: A 'Third Umpire' for Policing in South Africa: Applying Body Cameras in the Western Cape Summary: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly changing the way governments, public agencies and people interact. With the advent and spread of technologies - especially wireless connectivity and wearables - new forms of communication and information exchange are possible. In best case scenarios, these can expand the range of options and opportunities for civic engagement across political, economic and social dimensions. Not surprisingly, technological innovations are having a profound effect on the form and content of policing. But what are the possibilities for the use of these new technologies for improving law enforcement in the global South? A new initiative led by the Brazil-based Igarape Institute is testing this question. It involves police and civil society groups in Brazil and South Africa and is exploring how new technologies can improve the oversight and accountability of police. The initiative is called "smart policing". Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2015. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 14: Accessed May 20, 2015 at: http://www.apcof.org/files/694_smart_policing%20_in%20_south%20africa.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Shelf Number: 135718 |
Author: Sahlhoff, Michelle Title: Components of Short-Term Success in Projects Targeting Illegal Logging Summary: Illegal logging, perpetuated by corruption, is a serious problem in developing countries, specifically Brazil, Indonesia, and Uganda. Development projects focused on fighting illegal logging have not adequately been analyzed to assess the approaches taken in fighting corruption in addition to an academic literature review. Through a literature review and analysis of development problems, this research focused on the roles of the project donor, implementer, cost, duration, participants, levels of participation, mechanisms, and success. Next, a summary of observations for success from the projects were compiled to provide a thorough understanding of projects fighting illegal logging in the three focus countries. The results of the literature review produced causes and effects of illegal logging in states, as well as recommended methods for combatting and preventing illegal logging with a focus on the corruption that can drive illegal logging. The analysis of reviewed projects observed that none of the components identified appeared to be strongly necessary or unnecessary for a project to be successful or unsuccessful across countries, but some useful observations within countries were identified. The summary of reasons for the successfulness and unsuccessfulness of projects produced five themes: ineffective relocation, successful economic mechanisms, coordination, satellite technology, and appropriate community management. Building on this, a theoretical framework was created that prepared hypotheses focusing on state capacity, classification of corruption, and implementing partner, as well as focusing on coordination and close relationships with stakeholders while utilizing satellite imagery to function as a check to ensure integrity between all actors. Details: Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh, 2012. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 21, 2015 at: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/12102/1/Thesis_Revised_Final.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Conservation Shelf Number: 135748 |
Author: Zanetic, Andre Title: The Private Security in Brazil: some aspects related to the motivations, regulation and social implications of the sector Summary: The growth of private security verified in many countries in the middle of twentieth century displays important questions about state responsibility in relation to the security. In Brazil, where the growth is very significant mainly in the last two decades, not much is possible to know about the real dimension of the sector and about the conditions that carried out this appearance and expansion. Taking into consideration approaches observed in the international literature and the data relative to this sector, this work analyze the Brazilian regulatory framework, showing the implications about some more problematic features. Details: Unpublished paper, 2008. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/llilas/ilassa/2009/zanetic.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Policing Shelf Number: 135772 |
Author: University of Washington. Jackson School of International Studies Title: 2013 Task Force Report: Violent Crime Reduction in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Rio de Janeiro is infamous for violence. In many of the city's large, informal settlements known as favelas, violent drug gangs have ruled with impunity while corrupt police officers contribute to distrust of formal government. The introduction of new Pacifying Police Units (UPP) in 2008 has resulted in impressive progress, but much still remains to be done. The focus of this Task Force is to provide recommendations to ensure that the UPP program continues to be successful. Our recommendations are geared toward furthering UPP integration into communities in a way that 1) preserves the progress that has already been made and 2) ensures permanent change, both within Rio's troubled police force and in "pacified" communities. While much has been accomplished already, the task is far from complete. Each of the policy recommendations presented in the following chapters was prepared for the Public Security Secretary of Rio de Janeiro Jose Beltrame, and is tailored to his position and responsibilities. However, we recognize that a systemic problem cannot be solved by one actor, and real change must come from a combination of efforts on the part of government, NGOs, and community members themselves. The project is loosely divided into two broad sections. The first five chapters address ways internal police policies can be improved to strengthen the ability of UPPs to carry out their community policing mission. Topics include strengthening respect for community policing objectives within the police force, improving working conditions for officers, enhancing community control and involvement with local UPP units, coordinating with other governmental institutions to break the cycle of violence for convicted criminals, and including NGOs and community members in devising training curriculum for officers. The second half involves improving the means by which community upgrading projects and the provision of public services takes place after the UPPs are installed in communities. Topics include instituting a new system for coordinating public service works with ground-level community interests, improving access to healthcare within favelas by involving UPP officers in first-response systems, easing the process of land title formalization, and instituting programs to dissipate tensions between police and youth. Details: Seattle: Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, 2013. 270p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/22749/TF%20I%202013%20text.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Community Policing Shelf Number: 129789 |
Author: Simmons, Krista Title: The State and Youth Violence:A Socio-Political Approach to Understanding Youth Violence in Rio de Janeiro's Favelas Summary: Drug trafficking has drastically increased levels of violence in Rio de Janeiro since the arrival of the cocaine trade in the early 1980's. The rate of homicides in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1990's and early 2000's marked the city as one of the most violent urban centers in the world. Even today, there is an average of 20 homicides each day in Rio de Janeiro, a city of just under 12,000,000 people. The rate of death as a result of violence and other demographic factors such as an overabundance of male recorded deaths between the ages of 15-24, a deficit of young men, an imbalanced sex ratio, and a rise in youth mortality since the 1980's more closely mirror warzone demographics than those of a city in a modern, stable state such as Brazil. For example, between 1998 and 2000 there were between 2,000 and 5,000 violent deaths, in Yugoslavia, and roughly 11,000 in Angola. In the same period, Rio de Janeiro saw 7,465 citizens die as a result of violence. Of grave concern to children's rights activists has been the accompanying spike in violence against and among children and youth. Deaths by external causes among individuals under 18 years of age in Rio de Janeiro have increased from 8.1% in 1979 to 26.4% in 2002, with violent causes predominating external causes of death increasingly with time. The increased involvement of children in violent drug gangs is reflected in the testimony of local favela dwellers (or favelados), as well as Rio de Janeiro crime statistics. In 1980, there were 110 registered convictions of minors for drug related crime. By 2001, there were 1,584 convictions of minors for drug related crimes: a number shocking, although decreased from a high of 3,211 in 1998. This translates to a 1340% increase in drug related convictions among minors in Rio de Janeiro between 1980 and 2001. It is estimated that 5,000-6,000 children are currently working for drug factions within Rio de Janeiro's favelas (poor shanty towns). The realities faced by youth involved in organized drug violence in Rio de Janeiro are similar to those of child soldiers elsewhere in the world, with whom they share the dynamics of "voluntary" recruitment, a hierarchical structure of orders and punishment, access to and use of firearms and other weapons, kill-or-be-killed surroundings, and involvement in large-scale armed confrontations. Despite the similarities, however, the children of Rio's drug gangs cannot be classified as child soldiers because the drug factions for which they work have no political objectives or desire to replace the state. Furthermore, labeling them child soldiers runs the risk of legitimizing lethal state force against them. However, these children are clearly more than "delinquents." A call for a category all their own has grown in recent years, with Brazilian NGO, Viva Rio, developing a working definition for these children which can be applied in similar circumstances around the world: "Children and Youth in Organized Armed Violence (COAV) - Children and Youth employed or otherwise participating in Organized Armed Violence where there are elements of command structure and power over territory, local population, or resources." Details: Washington, DC: American University, 2010. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: http://auislandora-dev.wrlc.org/islandora/object/0910capstones%3A108 Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 129786 |
Author: Braehler, Verena Barbara Title: Inequality of Security: Exploring Violent Pluralism and Territory in Six Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summary: Security is a universal human right and a highly valued societal good. It is crucial for the preservation of human life and is of inestimable value for our societies. However, in Latin America, the right to security is far from being universally established. The aim of this sequential, exploratory mixed methods study is to explore the logic of security provision in six neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (Vidigal, Santissimo, Complexo do Alemao, Tabuleiro, Botafogo and Novo Leblon) and assess its implications for citizens' right to security. The findings from the research show that, on a city level, Rio de Janeiro's security network can best be understood as an oligopoly because different security providers (police, municipal guards, military, private security companies, militias and drug trafficking factions) are connected through cooperative, neutral or conflictual relationships and need to consider the actions and reactions of other groups when taking strategic decisions. On a neighbourhood level, the preferred option for security providers are monopolistic-type constellations, characterised by relative peace and stability. However, all actors are willing to engage in violence if the perceived political and/or economic benefits are great enough. The thesis shows that the relative power and influence of the security providers are primarily determined by the way they are perceived by the local communities and by their capacity to use violence effectively. Despite its appearance as chaotic, violence is therefore an instrument which is negotiated and managed quite carefully. The thesis concludes that insecurity and violence in Rio de Janeiro are primarily fuelled by the struggle for territorial control between conflicting security providers within the oligopoly. The oligopolistic constellation of security providers leads to an inequality of security, defined as a condition in which the right to security is not enjoyed by all residents to the same extent. Details: London: University College London, 2014. 292p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 30, 2015 at: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1457437/1/Verena_Barbara_Braehler_PhD_thesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Gangs Shelf Number: 135808 |
Author: de Oliveira Carlos, Juliana Title: Drug policy and incarceration in Sao Paulo, Brazil Summary: This briefing paper analyses the impact of drug policy on incarceration in Sao Paulo (Brazil), based on information collected among 1,040 people caught for having committed a drug-related offence (i.e. arrested in "flagrante delicto") between 1st April and 30st June 2011. The objective of the research was to use empirical data on those caught in the criminal justice system for drug traffic to demonstrate the fragile distinctions between drug users and traffickers, provide information on how police officers deal with drug-related offences, and analyse how the judiciary effectively responds to these crimes (at least in the initial phases of the criminal justice process). Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2015. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Paper: Accessed July 8, 2015 at: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64663568/library/IDPC-briefing-paper_Drug-policy-in-Brazil-2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Offenders Shelf Number: 135960 |
Author: Miraglia, Paula Title: Drugs and Drug Trafficking in Brazil: Trends and Policies Summary: Key Findings - Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world with a national homicide rate of 27.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. A large part of this violence and criminality can be linked to arms and drug trafficking operations by organized crime groups. - Brazil's increased domestic drug consumption in recent years has affected the domestic drug market and changed the structure, profile, and modes of operation of organized crime groups. - In 2006, Brazil adopted a new drug law intended to make a clear and definitive distinction between drug users and dealers. However, a discriminatory culture in the justice system, combined with great discretion given to the authorities to classify offenses as trafficking, resulted in increased imprisonment of addicts. - Today, Brazil has the world's fourth largest imprisoned population, which points to the need for alternatives in dealing with violence and crime, particularly when related to drug consumption. - Brazil boasts innovative programs, such as the Sao Paulo de Bracos Abertos program and the Unidades de Polcia Pacificadora in Rio de Janeiro, but each of these faces complex challenges to their success. Policy Recommendations - Brazil needs criminal justice system reform, together with improved drug legislation that classifies offenses more precisely, to minimize the discretionary imprisonment of addicts. - Brazil should develop improved mechanisms to prevent police brutality and lethality, and should also adopt reforms to improve police efficiency and effectiveness. - Brazil should mainstream the concept of prevention in its domestic drug policy programs. Details: Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2015. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2015 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/04/global-drug-policy/Miraglia--Brazil-final.pdf?la=en Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Abuse and Addiction Shelf Number: 136103 |
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Independent Evaluation Unit Title: Counteracting Human Trafficking in Brazil Summary: The technical cooperation project on Counteracting Trafficking in Persons in Brazil (AD/BRA/05/S25) aimed to improve the institutional capacity of the country in dealing with the domestic and international trafficking of persons and its related human rights violations. The primary objective was to coordinate the Federal Executive government and subnational governments in the formulation and development of a national policy and plan to curb trafficking in persons. This project, which was proposed to cover the period between 2007 and 2010, was extended to 2011. This independent evaluation was conducted at the request of the UNODC regional office and the Brazilian government, between November and December 2011 (with field missions in Brasilia and Sao Paulo). It relied on in-depth interviews with stakeholders and documentary research to evaluate the quality of project concept and design; effectiveness; efficiency; effectiveness; relevance; sustainability; impact in achieving its planned objectives; results (whether planned or not). The evaluation also intended to provide policy recommendations to the UNODC and the Brazilian government and indentify lessons learned for other countries willing to scale up anti-human trafficking initiatives. Relevance. Because of the large territorial landscape, the improving economic conditions and population vulnerability (in some regions as the North), Brazil serves as an origin, transit and destination of trafficking victims. Brazil's Congress and the Executive government ratified the 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its additional protocols in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Although this was an important step in anti-human trafficking initiatives, Brazil had little experience in responding to this problem. In this sense, the collaboration with the UN through the Project S25 was crucial to strengthen the institutional capacity to deal with human trafficking by coordinating initiatives at Federal level and between states and by disseminating knowledge on counteracting human trafficking. Quality of design. The main actors engaged in the project design in 2006 were the National Secretariat of Justice (SNJ) and the UNODC. The objectives were formulated according to previous studies/diagnostics at the request of both institutions. Additionally, the project was sensitive to successful local experiences but also to the overall guidelines of the UNODC (prevention, prosecution and assistance to the victims). The original project provided a detailed list of expected outcomes and products. However, these were unsatisfactory in terms of clarity and means of verification. It is important to recall that, until then, Brazil had little experience in developing a response to this social problem. On the other hand, despite the UNODC capacity of aggregating experiences from other settings, the global response was under development. Thus, best practices to respond to this social problem were being constructed at that time. Efficiency of implementation and quality of management. In 2009, there was an important reformulation of some outputs to adjust to the evolution of Brazil's response and the international guidelines. For instance, increasing the participation of Brazil's resources and the exclusion of "smuggling of migrants" in the title (to align it with international standards). The disbursement of resources increased steadily over the years and delays were related to challenges of implementation. These referred to constant changes in project coordination and to the fact that the Brazilian government has limited the activities to be funded with international cooperation's resources. The financial execution of the project was constantly monitored by the UNODC, the Office of Comptroller General (CGU) and the SNJ. Despite minor improvements required on financial implementation, CGU's audit reports clearly stated that there were adequate internal control mechanisms. Nevertheless, monitoring reports of the project's activities were unsatisfactory given its poor description of activities implemented and its briefness. Effectiveness. The project was decisive to diffuse knowledge on this theme among subnational governments by training local professionals and police officers, but also to the media through an aggressive awareness campaign at the airports. The project also sponsored important events related to trafficking in humans in Brazil, such as the presentation of the UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons and a meeting of the network of professionals working on this issue in 2010. In addition, the project facilitated the participation of civil society in these events (e.g. through transportation) and in the formulation of the national plans (e.g. development of a methodology of public consultation). However, there is still a necessity to foster the training of professionals when assisting the victims and knowledge of federal police officers. Lastly, Brazil is yet to promote a mass awareness campaign to inform the general population (e.g. the Blue Hearth campaign has not been promoted within the country to date). Finally, the proposed database integrating information from different services on human trafficking (assistance to the victims and criminal investigations) is yet to be fully implemented. Impact and sustainability. There was a general consensus among stakeholders that the project was crucial in order to place human trafficking on the agenda of the Ministry of Justice, promote knowledge about this issue within different levels of government and empower civil society groups. There are reasons to believe that Brazil will continue and expand these initiatives: the second national plan was developed and there are signs of commitment of subnational governments to respond to trafficking (12 states have implemented centres to refer victims, while 5 municipalities have created unities in the airports to identify possible victims among deported citizens). Finally, the findings of this independent evaluation suggest that project S25 was crucial to strengthen Brazil's capacity in dealing with this social problem. It is reasonable to infer that, by initiating prevention and assistance to the victims and control and punishment to the offenders, Brazil has limited the channels of this criminal activity and sent a strong message to other countries on how to curb it. Based on the information provided by the stakeholders and desk review findings, this evaluation recommends that it is necessary to: continue to strengthen the training of professionals working at the centres and unities, implement mass awareness campaigns such as the Blue Heart Campaign, foster the debate on the necessity to expand the legislation on human trafficking, encourage studies to diagnose and map the extent of this problem in Brazil, and improve the progress reports and monitoring mechanisms (e.g. mid-term evaluations). Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2011. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2015 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/evaluation/ProEvals-2009/ProEvals-2010/ProEvals-2011/S25_Report_FINAL-FINALrev.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 136344 |
Author: Amnesty International Title: You Killed My Son: Homicides by Military Police in the City of Rio de Janeiro Summary: Extrajudicial executions at the hands of police officials are frequent in Brazil. In the context of the so-called "war on drugs", military police forces have unnecessarily and excessively used lethal force, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people over the past decade. The authorities often use the legal term of "resistance followed by death" as a smokescreen to cover up killings committed by the police officers. This report is based on a series of cases of police killings that occurred during 2014 and 2015 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, particularly in the favela of Acari. Details: London; Amnesty International, 2015. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/youkilled_final_bx.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deadly Force Shelf Number: 136430 |
Author: Taylor, Alice Title: "She Goes With Me in My Boat": Child marriage and adolescent marriage in Brazil Summary: Brazil - like the rest of Latin America - has been absent from many global discussions and actions around child and adolescent marriage, which largely focus on hotspot areas such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The available evidence within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, however, shows prevalence levels of child marriage are highest in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Brazil and that absolute numbers are highest in Brazil. This study, the first of its kind in Brazil, explores attitudes and practices around child and adolescent marriage in Para and Maranhao, two Brazilian states with highest prevalence of the practice. The results confirm the mostly informal and consensual nature of unions involving girls under the age of 18 in the settings studied. The analysis highlights the ways in which a child or adolescent marriage may create or exacerbate risk factors (i.e., related to health, education, security) while often being perceived by girls or family members as offering stability in settings of economic insecurity and limited opportunities. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:: Promundo, 2015. 148p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2015 at: http://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SheGoesWithMyBoat_ChildAdolescentMarriageBrazil.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Marriage Shelf Number: 136740 |
Author: World Bank Title: Brazil: Youth at Risk in Brazil Summary: Brazilian young people are well on their way to becoming productive and contributing members of society. Three-quarters of young Brazilians surveyed responded that they are happy with themselves and with their lives. And they have the numbers to make substantial contributions to the present and future of their society -- 19 percent of the Brazilian population is aged 15 to 24 and Brazilian young people comprise one-third of the youth population of Latin America. This report is the first volume of a two-volume series. The second volume is a technical report that presents the statistical results in detail. This first volume summarizes the 100-page second volume. It gives a brief review of the report's empirical findings and of the correspondence to youth development policy and programming in Brazil. Details: Washington, DC: World Bank, 2007. 2 vols. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 2, 2015 at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/7772 Year: 2007 Country: Brazil Keywords: At-Risk Youth Shelf Number: 136938 |
Author: Perova, Elizaveta Title: Women's Police Stations and Domestic Violence: Evidence from Brazil Summary: Although women's police centers have been gaining popularity as a measure to address domestic violence, to date no quantitative evaluations of their impacts on the incidence of domestic violence or any other manifestations of gender equality have been done. This paper estimates the effects of women's police stations in Brazil on female homicides, as a measure of the most severe form of domestic violence. Given that a high fraction of female deaths among women ages 15 to 49 years can be attributed to aggression by an intimate partner, female homicides appear the best available proxy for severe domestic violence considering the scarcity of data on domestic violence. The paper uses a panel of 2,074 municipalities and takes advantage of the gradual rollout of women's police stations from 2004 to 2009, to estimate the effect of establishing a women's police station on the municipal female homicide rate. Although the analysis does not find an association on average, women's police stations appear to be highly effective among some groups of women: women living in metropolitan areas and younger women. Establishing a women's police station in a metropolitan municipality is associated with a reduction in the homicide rate by 1.23 deaths per 100,000 women (which roughly amounts to a 17 percent reduction in the average homicide rate in metropolitan municipalities). The reduction in the homicide rate of women ages 15 to 24 is even higher: 5.57 deaths per 100,000 women. Qualitative work suggests that better economic opportunities and less traditional social norms in metropolitan areas may explain the heterogeneous impacts of women's police stations in metropolitan areas and outside them. Details: World Bank Group, Poverty Global Practice Group, 2015. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7497 : Accessed November 24, 2015 at: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2015/11/17/090224b0831c155a/1_0/Rendered/PDF/Women0s0police0evidence0from0Brazil.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Domestic Violence Shelf Number: 137335 |
Author: Front Line Title: Front Line Brazil : murders, death threats and other forms of intimidation of human rights defenders, 1997-2001. Summary: The defence of human rights in Brazil is a dangerous undertaking. In virtually every context in which human rights defenders operate-whether rural conflicts, the fight against urban police brutality and the violence of organised criminal elements, the defence of the environment and of indigenous peoples, or on parliamentary human rights commissions-they face harrassment, intimidation by unwarranted lawsuits, death threats, physical attacks and even murder. This report analyzes fifty-six separate incidents of violence and harrassment of human rights defenders-nineteen instances of homicide, causing twenty-three deaths, and thirty-seven other incidents including attempted murder, death threats and other forms of harassment-over the past five years. These were not the only such cases during this period, but rather represent a frightening national tendency. Still, the numbers are impressive: twenty-three deaths, thirty-two death threats, four instances of attempted murder, four unjustified prosecutions, four beatings, one kidnapping, one disappearance and one unjustified detention. This report sheds light on a series of aspects of the defence of human rights in Brazil that merit attention. First, human rights defenders are a varied lot in Brazil. While most pertain to some form of organised civil society group, such as nongovernmental organisations or unions, many are public authorities, prosecutors, and elected officials. What they have in common is their labour in defence of one or more of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Second, while public authorities, prosecutors and elected officials may enjoy an additional level of protection not afforded to non-state members of civil society groups, even these public authorities are not immune from attacks. This report considers the dangers of human rights defence in Brazil by analyzing instances of abuse and intimidation affecting human rights defenders since 1997, as well as the response of relevant authorities to these incidents. Global Justice chose to limit this report to cases from the past five years due to the existence of literally hundreds of instances over the past decade. Beginning with this universe of cases, we tried to focus on 1) the most serious abuses; 2) instances of abuse that were most representative of the kinds of difficulties faced by defenders; 3) cases that represented the diversity of contexts in which defenders face risks in Brazil; 4) cases that demonstrated the regional diversity of abuses; 5) cases that were well documented and 6) cases known to authorities. Unfortunately, we were forced to eliminate a number of instances that should be in this report due to the lack of corroborating information. As such, while the report includes nineteen cases involving twenty-three homicides, and dozens of incidents of death threats and other forms of intimidation, those figures are not exhaustive, but rather a sampling of the many instances of abuses of the rights of defenders in Brazil. Details: Blackrock : Front Line : Global Justice Center, 2002. 229p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 11, 2016 at: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/files/en/1564_FrontLineBrazil_0.pdf Year: 2002 Country: Brazil Keywords: Civil Rights Shelf Number: 137463 |
Author: Freire, Danilo Alves Mendes Title: Entering the Underworld: Prison Gang Recruitment in Sao Paulo's Primeiro Comando da Capital Summary: The present thesis provides a throughout discussion of the emergence of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a prison gang based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its main goal is to analyse how this criminal group selects its potential members. The work starts with a review of the recent literature on prison culture and gangs, with special emphasis on the Brazilian contributions to the field. Then it presents the first historical account of the PCC in the English language since previous research has been solely conducted in Portuguese. Lastly, the thesis offers a simple game-theoretical model to analyse both the incentives for a criminal to join a prison gang and how the PCC has been able to hire competent criminals under conditions of uncertainty and information asymmetry. The model suggest three findings. First, it stresses the role of informers in the gang's recruitment process. Informers allow the prison gang to keep a lower entry cost, so the gang can attract a larger pool of applicants and still be able to select competent candidates. Second, it indicates that there are cases in which joining a prison gang is not the best option for an inmate. When the detainee has enough skills to endure prison conditions by himself, the prisoner might be better off if he decides to "go it alone" and devote his ability exclusively to his own survival. Third, the models confirms the idea that the prison gang is not only a "school of crime", but perhaps most importantly, a highly effective screening device. Prison gangs increase the welfare of the inmates by providing an extremely valuable public good: reliable information. Public policies implications and possible extensions of the current study are also discussed. Details: Geneva : Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2014. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed January 22, 2016 at: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/pfigshare-u-files/1723348/MA_Thesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Organized Crime Shelf Number: 137648 |
Author: Trend Micro Title: Ascending the Ranks. The Brazilian Cybercriminal Underground in 2015 Summary: The fastest route to cybercriminal superstardom can be found in Latin America, particularly in Brazil. Any criminal aspirant can gain overnight notoriety with just a little bit of moxie and the right tools and training, which come in abundance in the country's untamed underground. This past year, we observed an influx of new players in the scene. Most of them are young and bold individuals with no regard for the law. Unlike their foreign counterparts, they do not rely so much on the Deep Web for transactions. They exhibit blatant disregard for the law by the way they use the Surface Web, particularly popular social media sites like Facebook and other public forums and apps. Using online aliases on these sites, they make names for themselves, flagrantly showing off all the spoils of their own mini operations. Although they share what they know to peers, they mostly work independently, trying to outdo the competition and ascend the ranks to become the top players in their chosen fields. Online banking is their biggest target; this makes banking malware and respective how-to tutorials prevalent. This trend remains consistent with what we reported two years ago. But since then, new offerings have also sprouted, including localized ransomware and personally identifiable information (PII)-querying services. Illegal goods that were only peddled in Brazil's backstreets have likewise crossed over to the underground. Anyone can now purchase counterfeit money and fake diplomas online. The brazenness of cybercriminal operations should come as no surprise. Brazilian law enforcement agencies already have a lot on their plate; budding criminals online are only additions to their list of challenges. Although they have started investing in the fight against this growing problem, will their efforts be enough to at least slow down its pace. Details: Irving/Las Colinas, TX: Trend Micro, 2015. 320. Source: Internet Resource: TrendLabs Research Paper: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: https://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp-ascending-the-ranks.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bank Fraud Shelf Number: 137721 |
Author: Souza Pinheiro, Alvaro de Title: Irregular Warfare: Brazil's Fight Against Criminal Urban Guerrillas Summary: This monograph by Major General Alvaro de Souza Pinheiro contributes to the discussion of urban guerrillas, their impact on society, and the role of the armed forces in countering criminal elements. The rise of urban guerrillas is a result of an evolution in command and control capabilities, weapons, and doctrine that has given them strong influence over the daily lives of citizens living in neighborhoods where government support and control is limited or absent. The favelas (ghettos, slums) of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are ready examples that provide the setting for General Alvaro's monograph. The urban guerrilla, however, is emblematic of a wider-felt problem, not limited to Brazil. What makes General Alvaro's monograph compelling is that this Brazilian story has universal application in many locales that are under-governed and under-supported by constituted authorities. Urban guerrillas flow from a witch's brew of ersatz political doctrine, readily available and powerful weapons, and criminal gangs that typically are financed by the drug trade. Criminal groups like the Red Command (Comando Vermelho-CV) and Third Command have been able to thrive in the favelas because of ineffective policing and lack of government interest. These Brazilian gangs have filled the void with their own form of governance. As General Alvaro indicates herein, criminal urban guerrillas have latched on to revolutionary doctrine, such as the Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla and the First Capital Command Statute, so as to give political legitimacy to their lawlessness. In fact, these are gangs that terrorize the residents of the favelas, holding them hostage to criminal exploits, while keeping government legitimacy and security in check. As in the United States, when the general welfare of civil society is at risk, the President may call upon the armed forces to aid the police or take control. Under the Brazilian Constitution the President can "intervene -- to put an end to serious jeopardy to public order --" through his power to "decree and enforce federal intervention." This is akin to the U.S. President's authorities for civil disturbances and other emergencies, but a notable difference is the expansive role that Brazilian armed forces can take. Under the Brazilian Constitution the armed forces "are intended for the defense of the Country, for the guarantee of the constitutional powers [legislative, executive, judicial], and, on the initiative of any of these, of law and order." Thus during the crisis to restore public order in Rio de Janeiro in November 1994 through January 1995, the military was put in charge as the lead agency, with operational control over federal and state police. With Presidential authorization, the Brazilian Minister of the Army designated the Eastern Military Commander as the General Commander of Operations. Operation Rio commenced with the goals of reducing urban violence and reestablishing government authority. Operations consisted of isolating lawless areas, conducting squad patrols and large sweeps, and on several occasions, attacking the urban guerrilla directly. The operation suppressed urban guerrilla activity-for a time. There was a decrease in bank robberies, car thefts, gang shootouts, drug trafficking and weapons smuggling, plus some 300 automatic rifles and 500 hand guns were confiscated. Yet as General Alvaro illustrates in this monograph, the problem persists today with similar public order crises in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and other cities. It is for good reason that General Alvaro includes in this monograph a translation of Carlos Marighella's Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla, since the man and his manual continue to inspire miscreants and would-be revolutionary groups. Much as psychiatrist-philosopher Frantz Fanon provided a rationale for African anticolonialists to kill the white interlopers, Marighella is a symbol for ideological activists who would resist authority, as well as for criminals who profit when government presence and legitimacy are wanting. The military planner and strategist should be familiar with the Minimanual and similar writings since they contribute to the development of the strategic environment as we find it, and it is against this backdrop that we plan for countering insurgencies and terrorism. The military will continue to play an important part in countering the urban guerrilla, whose goal is to separate the population from the government (typically by making government forces overreact) then supplanting it. This suggests that the military will need to conduct a range of irregular warfare activities in coordination with civilian agencies. Whatever the combination of direct and indirect actions that are applied to counter the urban guerrilla, the military planner will be well served to consider General Alvaro's insights about Brazil's Fight Against Criminal Urban Guerrillas. Details: Hurlburt Field, FL: Joint Special Operations University, 2009. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: JSOU Report 09-8: Accessed March 12, 2016 at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2009/0909_jsou-report-09-8.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Networks Shelf Number: 138195 |
Author: Abramovay, Miriam Title: Violences in Schools Summary: All over the western world, the occurrence of violence in the schools is not a recent phenomenon. Beyond being an important issue for reflection, this violence constitutes a serious social problem above all else. Since the first studies were developed on this subject in the United States in the nineteen-fifties, various dimensions of this phenomenon have undergone huge changes and the resulting problems have taken on a more serious nature. Some of the most notable transformations have been the appearance of weapons and guns in the schools, widespread drug use and the expansion of gangs. These elements have influenced the school routine and are eventually associated with drug trafficking. Another great change that has taken place is a result of the fact that the schools and their surrounding areas have ceased to be protected or preserved areas and have become elements that have been incorporated into the daily violence of urban spaces. Above all, school has ceased to represent a safe and secure place for the students and has lost a huge part of its ties to the community. The focus of analysis of the phenomenon could not help but change as well in comparison with the first studies. Initially, violence in school was treated simply as a question of discipline. Later, it began to be analyzed as a demonstration of juvenile delinquency, a manifestation of anti-social behavior. Today, this violence is seen in a much broader way from the perspective of phenomena like globalization and social exclusion. These issues require analyses that are not restricted to transgressions practiced by the youths as students or to the violence in the social relationships among them. Brazilian society has been hit with the increase of violence in the schools. There have been diverse incidents involving the participants in the school community in episodes of verbal, physical and symbolic aggression. This situation has alerted the attention of a variety of governmental agencies as well as international agencies and civil society. Since 1997, UNESCO Brazil has initiated a series of studies focusing on the themes of Youth, Violence and Citizenship, providing concrete proposals for political policies in order to contribute to the search for solutions for the problems that affect youth. The emphases of these studies include issues such as social exclusion, the job market, family, education, social participation and the youth as protagonist. The importance of this theme brought about a partnership with institutions that have been active in combating violence through actions directed towards identifying the mechanisms to prevent this phenomenon with emphasis on the theme as a priority issue. These institutions include: the Ayrton Senna Institute; the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS); the World Bank; United States Agency for International Development (USAID); the Ford Foundation; the National Council of State Secretariats of Education (CONSED) and Municipal Directors of Education Union (UNDIME). This research finds itself in the sphere of preoccupations and corresponding efforts involved with this issue. The objectives of this research may be described in the broadest sense as analyzing the perceptions of the students, the technical-pedagogical staff and the parents about violence in the schools and the causes of that violence. This research describes the frequency and gravity of the incidents and evaluates the impact of violence on the learning process. It also identifies the mechanisms adopted and/or recommendable for the prevention, reduction and eradication of the problem. Details: Braslia : UNESCO, Ayrton Senna Institute, UNAIDS, World Bank, USAID, Ford Foundation, CONSED, UNDIME, 2002. 344p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2016 at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001287/128718e.pdf Year: 2002 Country: Brazil Keywords: Anti-Social Behavior Shelf Number: 138393 |
Author: Novis, Roberta Title: Hard Times: Exploring the Complex Structures and Activities of Brazilian Prison Gangs Summary: This research examines the presence of organised criminal groups in prison and its influence on inmate's interaction and on the prison system of Rio de Janeiro. Information collected from a series of in-depth interviews with prisoners and ex-prisoners, members and non-members of the criminal groups and authorities of the criminal justice system, suggests that the current social organisation of prisons is working favourably towards the further development of organised crime and deviant behaviour. Prisoners are subordinated not only to the prison administration but also to the gang leaders. If a convict had no links with drug trafficking prior to incarceration, they definitely create one behind bars. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of interviewees from the sensitive sample engaged in drug trafficking while in prison. Off-brand inmates, those who are the less conspicuous convicts, end up engaging in illegal activities to avoid retaliation, perpetuating then a cycle of violence in a fragmented geopolitical gang space behind bars. Political pressure towards the validity of the classification system stratified by gang affiliation has impacted on the prison administration to create multiple categories of prisoners, which are mutually exclusive. This has had pervasive impacts on penal affairs such as allocation of sentences, lack of vacancies and disruption of prisoner's routine. The research shows that the State goes beyond classification of inmates by gang affiliation; it has incorporated elements of gang's violent tradition to assess and influence justice and prisoner's progression. This study offers an interesting scope for a comparative analysis through the study of anti-prison gang strategies. Experiences around the globe have been driven to target gangs with racial and ethnical rivalries. Prison gangs in this study are devoted to a more capitalist goal: the monopoly of illegal drug markets in the streets. Such understandings and contextualizing make a significant contribution to re-examining the role of inmate culture as well as the value of contemporary penal reforms designed to making the penal institutions more responsive and interventionist in addressing inmate needs. Details: London: London School of Economics, 2013. 279p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/958/1/Novis_hard_times.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 138455 |
Author: Leeds, Elizabeth Title: Civil Society and Citizen Security in Brazil: A Fragile but Evolving Relationship, Summary: The relationship between civil society groups and public safety officials in Brazil has evolved steadily over the past three decades. Human rights groups and academics are increasingly involved in discussions with members of the police and government officials about how to improve both the effectiveness and accountability of public safety policies. However, despite certain political openings for rights-respecting policies, deep-seated obstacles remain that limit the reforms' potential for success. As in many countries in the region, the over-arching trend in public safety policies in Brazil is a pendulum of innovations and retractions where proactive forward-thinking policies are frequently followed by a return to reactive-and frequently repressive-crime-fighting policies. Nevertheless, there are many examples where civil society has successfully advocated for more systemic, lasting reforms at the state and federal levels in Brazil, and these experiences are worth examining. WOLA's new report details how Brazilian civil society has become engaged in the issue of citizen security since the end of the military regime in 1988 to push for effective, rights-respecting public safety policies throughout the country, and examines the principle obstacles to progress and how they might be overcome. Details: Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2013. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/downloadable/WOLACivilSocietyandCitizenSecurityinBrazil.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Human Rights Shelf Number: 138465 |
Author: Pinheiro, Alvaro de Souza Title: Knowing Your Partner: The Evolution of Brazilian Special Operations Forces Summary: If combined special operations are to be conducted effectively in the complex strategic environment of a post 9/11 world, then it is necessary to have a sound understanding of each nation's interests, defense policies, and Special Operations Forces (SOF) capabilities and practices. This monograph contributes to that goal by exploring avenues for U.S.-Brazilian SOF interaction and cooperation. It provides on an overview of Brazil, its national security and defense policy, and current relations with the United States. This monograph describes the history and present organization of Brazilian SOF and considers its future. To this end, the purpose of this monograph is to offer the U.S. Special Operations Forces (USSOF) community a portrait of Brazilian SOF in areas such as the Tri-Border Area of the Southern Cone, and other operational environments. Details: MacDill AFB F: Joint Special Operations University, 2012. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: JSOU Report 12-7: Accessed March 30, 2016 at: http://jsou.socom.mil/JSOU%20Publications/12-7%20Brazilian%20SOF.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 138476 |
Author: Johnson, Christopher M. Title: "We're from the Favela but "We're Not Favelados": The intersection of race, space, and violence in Northeastern Brazil Summary: In Salvador da Bahia's high crime/violence peripheral neighbourhoods, black youth are perceived as criminals levying high social costs as they attempt to acquire employment, enter university, or political processes. Low-income youth must overcome the reality of violence while simultaneously confronting the support, privileged urban classes have for stricter law enforcement and the clandestine acts of death squads. As youth from these neighbourhoods begin to develop more complex identities some search for alternative peer groups, social networks and social programmes that will guide them to constructive life choices while others consign themselves to options that are more readily available in their communities. Fast money and the ability to participate in the global economy beyond 'passive' engagement draws some youth into crime yet the majority choose other paths. Yet, the majority use their own identities to build constructive and positive lives and avoid involvement with gangs and other violent social groups. Drawing from Brazil's racial debates started by Gilberto Freyre, findings from this research suggest that while identity construction around race is ambiguous, specific markers highlight one's identity making it difficult to escape negative associations with criminality and violence. The discourse surrounding social capital suggests that such individuals can rely on it to overcome these problems. However social capital is used more often as a tool to spatially and socially segregate and consolidate power and opportunity among the powerful and well-connected. That race does not contribute significantly to the debate misses key elements in how social relationships develop and are maintained. This research was conducted over the period of ten months in a peripheral neighbourhood in Salvador through a community social development programme. The study used a mixed qualitative methodology that was part ethnographic examining social networks and protective factors that assist young people at risk from becoming involved in crime or violence. Details: London: London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012. 299p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 26, 2016 at: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/390/ Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 139161 |
Author: Vandenberg, Layne Title: Police Pacification of Rio de Janeiro Favelas in the Context of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Summary: In 2006, FIFA announced Brazil as the host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. To heighten security measures for the Cup, the Rio de Janeiro state government created the Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (Police Pacification Unit or UPP) to regain territorial control of poor communities - called favelas - that were governed by criminal groups in the government's absence. The UPPs diverge from traditional policing practices as they utilize proximity policing in favelas to create a more permanent presence with the hope of eliminating drug traffickers and generating trusting relationships with the communities they serve. The implementation of the UPP has failed because UPPs decrees conceptualize the program within existing police structures and rely on the same policing methods used in the past. While the UPPs have successfully fulfilled their goal to reduce some forms of lethal violence in favelas, it has been unsuccessful in establishing positive relationships between residents and police that allow for the complete integration of favelas into Rio de Janeiro society. Despite this imperfect and incomplete integration, favela residents have made their voices heard, thus increasing their participation in civil society and opening a necessary social discourse about police expectations and inequality. I argue that the UPPs, although a short-term strategy, must implement stronger institutional organization and social programming to change policing methods and positively impact the favela communities. Details: Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 2015. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 26, 2016 at: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/112118/laynevdb.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 139229 |
Author: Abramovay, Miriam Title: Gangs, Crews, Buddies and Rappers: Youth, Violence and Citizenship around the Outskirts of Brasilia Summary: Though violence is no recent phenomenon, the existing surveys call our attention to the proportions its manifestations are taking among the different sectors of the youth. In this sense, special attention is paid to acts of trespassing and of juvenile violence performed by a special kind of group association that bears self identity and is generically defined as "gangs." In the case Brazil, attempts to explain violence are usually displayed in the discourse of the media, in political analysis, in academic production, and in institutional projects. The analyses indicate an effort to rationalize a not always verbalized or acknowledged feeling of dissatisfaction towards life in great Brazilian urban conglomerates. Besides that, the quest for achieving an understanding of this phenomenon, implies the challenge of articulating macro-level with others of medium and micro levels. Details: Brasilia: UNESCO Publishing, 1999. 171p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 27, 2016 at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001308/130864eo.pdf Year: 1999 Country: Brazil Keywords: Disadvantaged Youth Shelf Number: 139231 |
Author: Hendee, Thomas Alan Title: The Health of Pacification: A Review of the Pacifying Police Unit Program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summary: In response to unsustainable rates of violence and the world's attention for the upcoming World Cup and bid for the Olympic games, Brazil's tourist capital, Rio de Janeiro, in 2008 pursued the implementation of a newly structured policy that would bring police permanently into informal settlement. This policy, known as the Pacifying Police Unit, is used as a mechanism to describe the impact of insecurity and crime in allowing citizens to access healthcare and further justify the need for every policy to have a health perspective. Details: Stanford, CA: Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, Stanford University, 2013. 120p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 27, 2016 at: https://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Thomas_Hendee.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Cartels Shelf Number: 139232 |
Author: Berkmann von der Wehl, Candice Title: The Impact the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) have on Rio de Janeiro's favelas Summary: Historically, many types of public security reform policy have been tried and implemented in Brazil, ranging from demilitarizing the police; new penal codes; strengthening internal accountability systems, and restructuring police forces; but so far, seemingly the most promising and popular approach has been community oriented policing (COP). Leaving behind the more traditional, militaristic styles of policing that dominate police discourse throughout the region of Latin America, COP is a preventive approach based on the idea that society is the first line of defence against crime and insecurity. It focuses on the causes of crime, which can motivate citizens, to engage in police community partnerships, and it attempts to use crime statistics more effectively. The focal points of this paper, therefore, is to investigate community oriented policing in Brazil, known as Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (UPP), and to critically assess its strengths and weaknesses in the context of urban landscapes of Rio de Janeiro in the 21st Century. The paper will seek to compare public security reform critiques, as well as make an in depth analysis of what factors determine the success or failures of police reform endeavours, particularly, those in El Salvador and Brazil. Theses critiques are centred around short term initiatives that fail to identify the main problems inherent with police in Latin America; the international community's requirements for 'democratic police'; and the states' inability to alter the culture of 'non-questioning military hierarchy. Details: Leiden, NETH: Leiden University, 2016. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 27, 2016 at: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/38205/The%20Impact%20the%20Pacifying%20Police%20Units%20have%20on%20Rio%20de%20Janeiro%27s%20favelas.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 139233 |
Author: Dowdy, Calenthia S. Title: Youth, Music, and Agency: Undoing Race, Poverty and Violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summary: This work focuses on the intersection of youth, their music and their agency, all of which interact to shape identities and create social change in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Music as media activism serves as backdrop, narrative, response, and counterpoint rhythm to the interlocking systemic violence(s) affecting favela youth. Identity issues around race, poverty and violence are the central focus as Brazil's homicide rates are some of the highest in the world with much of it concentrated in Rio and perpetrated by the state against youth of color. In 1993 rampant violence reached a climax as poor black and brown youth were being murdered daily in Rio's streets. The city's image of paradise on earth, and Brazil's self-narrative of racial democracy were suffering. Musical genres of funk and hip-hop proliferated in Rio's favelas facilitating life stories told by youth of color. Lyrics of racism, chronic poverty and violence surfaced in resistance to imposed constructions of blackness, space, and worth. In dialogue and resistance, youth design alternative worldviews and identities while performing grassroots participatory citizenship. In these ways young people disrupt structural violence and re-work local and global identities. Details: Washington, DC: American University, 2012. 195p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 27, 2016 at: http://aladinrc.wrlc.org/bitstream/handle/1961/11018/Dowdy_american_0008E_10175display.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Disadvantaged Youth Shelf Number: 139234 |
Author: Ford, Maria Carolina Title: A Violent Symbiosis: Gangs, the State, and the Rise in Crime in Sao Paulo Summary: This thesis is concerned with the unexpected rise in violence in Sao Paulo after a decade of consistent decline, from 2000-10. Using the Complex Adaptive System framework, this thesis argues that the Primeiro Comando da Capital "First Command of the Capital" (PCC), the most influential prison gang in Brazil, developed an accommodating relationship with the state, making them both equally responsible for the rise in crime. The thesis is chronological, based on the three major PCC rebellions/attacks since its creation, in 1993. Those moments represent the break of an unstable truce between the state and the PCC, and are critical to reveal how the state fails to curb organized crime. The constant crime rise after 2012, however, suggests that in the long-term, the state has strengthened the PCC. Details: Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary, 2015. 120p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 1, 2016 at: http://theses.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/11023/2095/2/ucalgary_2015_ford_maria.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Gang Violence Shelf Number: 139263 |
Author: Magaloni, Beatriz Title: Killing in the Slums: An Impact Evaluation of Police Reform in Rio de Janeiro Summary: This paper evaluates the causal impact of Rio de Janeiro's Pacifying Police Units (UPPs), probably the largest-scale police reform initiative taking place in the developing world. The main goals of the UPPs were: 1) to regain control of territories previously dominated by armed criminal groups; and 2) to improve security for these communities through reduction of lethal violence. In the course of six years, more than 9,000 police officers were permanently assigned to the UPPs, servicing close to half million residents in the city slums (favelas). We are interested in understanding the process through which governments supply a basic public service - the police - in poor urban neighborhoods that have long been abandoned to the arbitrary rule of non-state armed actors. Moreover, our paper documents Rio de Janeiro's painful trajectory of police violence, illuminating some of it major institutional facilitators. Painstakingly geo-coding homicides and police killings from 2005 to 2013, we provide answers to some of the most critical questions about police use of lethal force, including the determinants of variations in who is targeted by police repression and how different strategies for policing the slums have impacted police killings. To evaluate the UPP impact on lethal violence, we use a variety of causal identification strategies that leverage spatial and temporal variation in the introduction of the UPP as well as geo-referenced data of more than 22,000 incidents of lethal violence. Our empirical models reveal that the UPP had mixed results. The introduction of the UPPs did not play a significant role in reducing murders in the favelas that were pacified. The UPP's failure to reduce homicides imply that the poor in the slums continue to be subject to two or three times higher murder rates than the white middle class. Nonetheless, the UPP is breaking long-held practices of extreme use of police lethal violence. Our empirical results convincingly demonstrate that police killings would have been 60 percent larger without the UPP intervention. Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford University, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), 2015. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: CDDRL Working Paper: Accessed June 8, 2016 at: http://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/cddrl_working_paper_dec15_rio.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deadly Force Shelf Number: 139326 |
Author: Avis, Eric Title: Do Government Audits Reduce Corruption? Estimating the Impacts of Exposing Corrupt Politicians Summary: Political corruption is considered a major impediment to economic development, and yet it remains pervasive throughout the world. This paper examines the extent to which government audits of public resources can reduce corruption by enhancing political and judiciary accountability. We do so in the context of Brazil's anti-corruption program, which randomly audits municipalities for their use of federal funds. We find that being audited in the past reduces future corruption by 8 percent, while also increasing the likelihood of experiencing a subsequent legal action by 20 percent. We interpret these reduced-form findings through a political agency model, which we structurally estimate. Based on our estimated model, the reduction in corruption comes mostly from the audits increasing the perceived threat of the non-electoral costs of engaging in corruption. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper 22443: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w22443.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Economic Crimes Shelf Number: 139820 |
Author: Tealde, Emiliano Title: Do Police Displace Crime? The Effect of the Favela Pacification Program in Rio de Janeiro Summary: An important however understudied challenge in the crime literature is to isolate the causal effect of police presence on crime displacement. Following the announcements of Brazil as the host of the 2014 FIFAWorld Cup and of the city of Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the Government of Rio de Janeiro launched the Favela Pacification Program. The program consists in the expulsion of criminals from some favelas (pacified favelas), territories usually controlled by gangs. Using data on homicide rates across Rio de Janeiro before and after the starting date of the Favela Pacification Program,I find that it displaces crime from pacified to non-pacified favelas. Details: Siena: University of Siena, Department of Economics, 2015. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, at: http://www.econ-pol.unisi.it/quaderni/717.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Displacement Shelf Number: 139824 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Summary: Military police officers Roberta Moreira and Wallace Justo walk through one of the trails at Mangueira favela on January 14, 2016. Members of the local Pacifying Police Unit (UPP), they carry out social projects with children to try to gain the community's trust. Police in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro have killed more than 8,000 people in the past decade, including at least 645 in 2015. Three quarters of those killed were black. Given that Rio police face real threats of violence from heavily-armed gangs, many of these killings were likely the result of the legitimate use of force. But many others were extrajudicial executions. Drawing on interviews with more than 30 police officers - two of whom admitted to participating in executions - and in-depth documentation of 64 cases where there is credible evidence that police sought to cover up unlawful killings. Government data examined by Human Rights Watch supports the view of local justice officials that this practice is widespread. Unlawful police killings take a heavy toll - not only on the victims and their families - but also on the police force itself. The killings fuel cycles of violence that endanger the lives of all officers serving in high-crime areas, poison their relationship with local communities, and contribute to high levels of stress that undermine their ability to do their jobs well. The officers responsible for unlawful killings and cover ups are rarely brought to justice. While investigations by civil police have been woefully inadequate, responsibility for this failure ultimately lies with Rio's Attorney General's Office. Unless authorities take urgent steps to ensure accountability for unlawful police killings, it will be very hard for Rio to make real progress in reducing violence and improving public security. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 117p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/brazil0716web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Dead Force Shelf Number: 139922 |
Author: Richardson, Lydia Title: Armed violence and poverty in Brazil: A case study of Rio de Janeiro and assessment of Viva Rio for the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative Summary: This report is the result of an 11-day visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September 2004. Wider research and information were used to complement the stakeholder interviews held during this period. The objectives of the study were to: - Contribute to the UK Government Department for International Development- (DFID) funded Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative (AVPI) global research study on the links between armed violence and poverty. - Contribute to the AVPI global study on assessing and reviewing the impact of small arms and light weapons (SALW) projects on small arms availability/misuse and poverty. - Support the case study organisation (Viva Rio) with its internal reflection on strategy and impact. Causes of violence in Rio de Janeiro are multi-faceted. High levels of inequality and physical, social and economic exclusion from the formal system are some of the principle causes. This combines with cultural factors such as machismo and the draw of perceived higher social status and identity through joining gangs. The availability of guns, cocaine and the marijuana industry exacerbates the problem. The lack of an integrated public security strategy coupled with a violent and corrupt police, and a judiciary and prison system which is ineffective, are also contributing factors. The political and economic history of Brazil has played a part: the transition from dictatorship to democracy; rapid and unplanned urbanization; and shifts in labour market requirements to higher skill levels to meet new demands, resulting in high unemployment and frustration felt by those with some education but insufficient to secure a job in the formal economy. Perpetrators and victims of armed violence in Rio de Janeiro are primarily the police, drug traffickers (mainly young men of 14-29 years old), and civilians caught in the crossfire. Favelas are the main locations of gun violence but criminal violence does occur in other parts of the city. The principle type of armed violence is organised drug gang fighting for territorial control; police use of arms; armed robbery and petty crime. Details: Bradford, UK: University of Bradford, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, 2005. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 6, 2016 at: http://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:8080/bitstream/handle/10454/1000/AVPI_Rio_de_Janeiro.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2005 Country: Brazil Keywords: Armed Violence Shelf Number: 140028 |
Author: Piza, Caio Title: Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Child-Labor Ban Summary: This is the first study to investigate the short- and long-term causal effects of a child-labor ban. The study explores the law that increased the minimum employment age from 14 to 16 in Brazil in 1998, and uncovers its impact on time allocated to schooling and work in the short term and on school attainment and labor market outcomes in the long term. The analysis uses cross-sectional data from 1998 to 2014, and applies a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to estimate the impact of the ban at different points of individuals' lifecycles. The estimates show that the ban reduced the incidence of boys in paid work activities by 4 percentage points or 27 percent. The study finds that the fall in child labor is mostly explained by the change in the proportions of boys working for pay and studying, and observes an increase in the proportion of boys only studying as a consequence. The results suggest that the ban reduced boys' participation in the labor force. The study follows the same cohort affected by the ban over the years, and finds that the short-term effects persisted until 2003 when the boys turned 18. The study pooled data from 2007 to 2014 to check whether the ban affected individuals' stock of human capital and labor market outcomes. The estimates suggest that the ban did not have long-term effects for the whole cohort, but found some indication that it did negatively affect the log earnings of individuals at the lower tail of the earnings distribution. Details: Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2016. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 7796; Impact Evaluation series: Accessed August 29, 2016 at: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/146211471281195366/pdf/WPS7796.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 140074 |
Author: Dix-Carneiro, Rafael Title: Local Labor Market Conditions and Crime: Evidence from the Brazilian Trade Liberalization Summary: This paper estimates the effect of local labor market conditions on crime in a developing country with high crime rates. Contrary to the previous literature, which has focused exclusively on developed countries with relatively low crime rates, we find that labor market conditions have a strong effect on homicides. We exploit the 1990s trade liberalization in Brazil as a natural experiment generating exogenous shocks to local labor demand. Regions facing more negative shocks experience large relative increases in crime rates in the medium term, but these effects virtually disappear in the long term. This pattern mirrors the labor market responses to the trade shocks. Using the trade liberalization episode to design an instrumental variables strategy, we find that a 10% reduction in expected labor market earnings (employment rate earnings) leads to a 39% increase in homicide rates. Our results highlight an additional dimension of adjustment costs following trade shocks that has so far been overlooked in the literature. Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2016. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper no. 9638: Accessed August 31, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2716579 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 140255 |
Author: Calero, Carla Title: The Effects of Youth Training on Risk Behavior: The Role of Non-Cognitive Skills Summary: This paper uses unique experimental data from a youth training program in the Favelas, Brazil, to examine whether youth training programs can prevent treatment recipients from engaging in risk behavior -- i.e., cigarettes, alcohol, and hard drug utilization, as well as witnessing or being a victim of violent crime. Although the program was successful in increasing income, we find that, it only improved risk behavior of the treated individuals with higher levels of non-cognitive skills. Details: Unpublished Paper, 2016. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2746579 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: At-risk Youth Shelf Number: 147917 |
Author: ECPAT Brazil Title: Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism. County-Specific Report: Brazil Summary: People who have suffered from the enduring societal scourge of sexual exploitation of children (SEC) have urgently and tirelessly campaigned alongside advocates to eradicate SEC and the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT) while never forgetting the devastating impact the phenomenon reaps upon nations, communities, families and the children themselves. In Brazil, modern-day slavery and child labour are rampant. Many have raised concerns as to the effects of mega sports events on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in a country already facing such challenges. As is well-known, Brazil was home to the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and is about to be host to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games this year. With the surging number of tourists and travellers - tourism in Brazil tripled in June 2014, when the World Cup took place -, members of civil society organisations feared that more children would be at a greater risk in certain areas of the country. Despite acknowledging that perhaps no increase in CSEC was registered, improvements in this area have not been achieved either . Furthermore, the development and expansion of the internet has facilitated travel while granting anonymity to a growing number of sexual exploitation networks, enabling them to develop new ways to escape identification by existing protection systems. Details: Rio de Janeiro: ECPAT Brazil, 2015. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2016 at: http://globalstudysectt.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/3.-SECTT-BRAZIL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 140307 |
Author: Biderman, Ciro Title: Pax Monopolista and Crime: The Case of the Emergence of the Primeiro Comando da Capital in Sao Paulo Summary: This paper documents a rare phenomenon: the consequence of the dominance of a single criminal gang in the city of Sao Paulo, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). Using unique data to identify entry in geographically well-delimited areas - the Favelas - we explore the timing of the expansion of geographical dominance to estimate the causal impact of its dominance on property and violent crime. Pax Monopolista caused a reduction in violent crime but no impact on property crime. Details: Caracas, Venezuela: Development Bank of Latin America, 2014. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 2014/03: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: http://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/712/paxmonopolista-crime-primeirocomandodacapital-saopaulo.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 140365 |
Author: Marston, Jerome Francis Title: Parallel Power: Challengers to the Democratic Rule of Law in Rio de Janeiro Brazil from 2000 to 2010 Summary: his thesis seeks to explore how drug cartels achieved de facto sovereign control over the favelas of Rio de Janeiro between 2000 and 2010, effectively preventing the Brazilian state from guaranteeing the rule of law uniformly throughout national territory. It also investigates the extent to which Brazilian citizens have suffered human rights abuses as a result. Drawing on both primary and secondary evidence, I argue that drug cartels gained sovereignty over these enclaves as a combined result of state weakness and cartel strength. The Brazilian state forfeited these territories a century ago, because it was infrastructurally weak to such an extent that it was unable to systematically penetrate them in order to monopolize violence, enforce laws, and provide public services. The cartels, in turn, exploited the favelas as ideal locations for the transport, repackaging, and sale of drugs. Benefiting from the profits of illicit activities, the gangs transformed into well-armed, bellicose organizations that maintained authority over the communities by performing state-like duties. In due course, organized crime amassed sufficient control over the favelas to thwart most state encroachments. Examining the exceptions, I found that the limited police encroachments were largely rights abusive - save those made by the Pacifying Police Units. State weakness and cartel strength have disjointed the rule of law and undermined democracy in Brazil. Details: Boston: Boston College, 2013. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: http://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:101598 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 140372 |
Author: Joseph, Regina Title: Rio and the Reds: The Comando Vermelho, Organized Crime and Brazil's Economic Ascent Summary: Brazil‟s growing status as a potential world power cannot obscure the characteristics of its other reality: that of a country with vast inequalities and high crime rates. The Comando Vermelho, the most prominent organized crime syndicate in Rio de Janeiro, besieges the beauty and charm that attracts tourists to this city. The CV arose not only as a product of the political dictatorship of the seventies, but also of the disenfranchised urban poor crammed into Rio's favela slums. Today, the CV presents a powerful challenge to the State's control of parts of Rio territory. As Brazil‟s soft power projection grows, it is seriously challenged by its capacity to eliminate organized crime. Economic growth is not sufficient to destroy a deeply embedded organization like the CV. In fact, Brazil's success may yet further retrench the CV's activities. Culpability for organized crime cannot be merely limited to the gangs, but must also be shared among the willing consumers, among whom can be found educated and elite members of society, as well as the impoverished and desperate. The Brazilian government needs a top-down response addressing the schism between rich and poor. However, Brazil's citizens must also take responsibility and forge a bottom-up response to the drug- and corruption-riddled elements of its most respected members of society. Brazil must target reform across public health, housing, education and above all, law enforcement. Without such changes, Brazil will remain a two-track democracy. Rio's wealthy will still be able to revel in the city's beauty, albeit from behind armored cars and fortified mansions, while the city's poor will yield-either as victims or perpetrators-to the desperate measures of organized crime. Details: Miami: Florida International University, Western Hemisphere Security Analysis Center, 2011. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Western Hemisphere Security Analysis Center. Paper 36: Student's Paper Series: Accessed October 6, 2016 at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=whemsac Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 140585 |
Author: Holston, James Title: Dangerous Spaces of Citizenship: Gang Talk, Rights Talk, and Rule of Law in Brazil Summary: This article considers an apparently perplexing aspect of democratization in Brazil: the use by notorious criminal gangs (comandos) from the poor urban peripheries and prisons of the discourses of democratic citizenship, justice, and rule of law to represent their own organizations and intentions. I situate this use within an unsettling development in Latin America generally during the last thirty years: the coincidence nearly everywhere of increasing political democracy and increasing everyday violence and injustice against citizens. My discussion considers these new territorializations of power and violence and their consequences for citizenship, democracy, and urbanization. To bring them to light, I focus on public pronouncements by Brazilian criminal gang that typically combine rationalities of crime with those of democracy, citizen rights, rule of law, and revolution. I also compare them with public declarations made by the police. I analyze both in relation to the historically dominant paradigm of Brazilian citizenship that democratization destabilizes. I then evaluate this destabilization with regard to the new kinds of violence and paradigms of insurgent citizenship that have emerged as characteristics of urbanization and democratization worldwide. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2008. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Papers, no. 21: Accessed November 12, 2016 at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mx836wh#page-1 Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Gang-Related Violence Shelf Number: 130123 |
Author: Assuncao, Juliano Title: DETERring Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement Summary: The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest. In Brazil, the forest originally occupied over four million km2 an area equivalent to almost half of continental Europe. Amazon deforestation rates escalated in the early 2000s, peaking at over 27,000 km2 in 2004, but fell sharply to about 5,000 km2 in 2011 (INPE [2012]). Empirical evidence presented in a previous CPI/PUC-Rio study suggests that changes in Brazilian conservation policies helped address the challenge of protecting this immense area and significantly contributed to the recent deforestation slowdown. In this study, we take a step further and answer the question: Which specific policy efforts contributed most to the reduction in Amazon deforestation? Our analysis reveals that the implementation of the Real Time System for Detection of Deforestation (DETER), a satellite-based system that enables frequent and quick identification of deforestation hot spots, greatly enhanced monitoring and targeting capacity, making it easier for law enforcers to act upon areas with illegal deforestation activity. This improvement in monitoring and law enforcement was the main driver of the 2000s deforestation slowdown. We estimate that DETER-based environmental monitoring and law enforcement policies prevented the clearing of over 59,500 km2 of Amazon forest area from 2007 through 2011. Deforestation observed during this period totaled 41,500 km2 59% less than in the absence of the policy change. We also find that the policy change had no impact on agricultural production. Details: s.l.: Climate Policy Initiative, 2013. 36p; executive summary. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/deterring-deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-environmental-monitoring-and-law-enforcement/ Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Conservation Shelf Number: 144911 |
Author: Wolff, Michael Jerome Title: Criminal authorities and the state: gangs, organized crime, and police in Brazil Summary: Drug gangs and organized criminal groups rarely evolve into structured authorities governing their resident communities. Where this occurs, however, they may effectively replace the state in its most basic functions, and consequently exclude subject populations from the rights and protections supposedly guaranteed by the state. Employing qualitative research methods, this study compares criminal development and state public security policies in Rio de Janeiro and Recife, Brazil. The research is primarily concerned with the development of criminal authority structures, and asks when, where, why, and how they develop. Arguing that the extant literature on organized crime fails to adequately explain this phenomenon—particularly in the case of drug trafficking gangs—I draw from the civil wars literature to theoretically explain the rise of non-state authority structures. The parallels are compelling. In Rio de Janeiro, concentrated illicit wealth created by the cocaine boom in the 1980s attracted an international arms market that helped drug gangs dominate larger territories (i.e. opportunities), while indiscriminate and lethally violent state repression pushed non-criminal publics into a de facto alliance with drug traffickers (i.e. grievance). In this context gangs—and later, militias—developed clear and structured governing functions. Other factors, such as inhibiting geography, also contributed to this authoritative duality. In Recife, by contrast, drug gangs have remained small, disorganized, and unengaged in local political structures. A smaller drug market, flat and vehicle-accessible slums, and a comparatively much less violent police force help to explain the failure of gangs and other criminal groups to develop broader authoritative functions. Details: Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico, 2014. 228p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 1, 2017 at: http://repository.unm.edu/bitstream/handle/1928/24606/Wolff_Dissertation_Final_2014.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 140769 |
Author: Dix-Carneiro, Rafael Title: Economic Shocks and Crime: Evidence from the Brazilian Trade Liberalization Summary: This paper studies the effect of changes in economic conditions on crime. We exploit the 1990s trade liberalization in Brazil as a natural experiment generating exogenous shocks to local economies. We document that regions exposed to larger tariff reductions experienced a temporary increase in crime following liberalization. Next, we investigate through what channels the trade-induced economic shocks may have affected crime. We show that the shocks had significant effects on potential determinants of crime, such as labor market conditions, public goods provision, and income inequality. We propose a novel framework exploiting the distinct dynamic responses of these variables to obtain bounds on the effect of labor market conditions on crime. Our results indicate that this channel accounts for 75 to 93 percent of the effect of the trade-induced shocks on crime. Details: Durham, NC: Duke University, 2016. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Economic Research Initiatives at Duke (ERID) Working Paper No. 242 : Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2895107 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 145121 |
Author: Peixoto, Betania Totino Title: Preventing Criminality: An Economic Evaluation of a Brazilian Program Summary: In this work we carried out an economic evaluation of Fica Vivo program in its pilot area, Morro das Pedras slum. Fica Vivo is the main program of prevention and control of criminality that is being carried in Brazil. This program was based on the CeaseFire Project proposed by the School of Public Health of the University of Illinois - Chicago in the nineties and that inspired several programs in other countries. The principal objective of the program is the reduction of homicides in areas of hot spots. Regarding homicides, in general, in Brazil, these hot spots occur in slums. The program combines preventive with repressive (police/ judicial) activities. This evaluation is done considering the pilot area of the program, Morro das Pedras slum, situated in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil. The impact of the program is estimated using a Double Difference Matching method applied to a panel data of police records between 2000 and 2006. The impact variable is the half-yearly homicide rate per one hundred thousand inhabitants. The costs were accounted based on accountability information sourced by the Social Defense Secretary and the State Police. The results show that the program reduces criminality, diminishing the homicide rate. Details: Unpublished paper, 2008. 27o, Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: http://www.cedlas-er.org/sites/default/files/aux_files/peixoto.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil Keywords: Cost-Benefit Analysis Shelf Number: 147296 |
Author: Danwatch Title: Bitter Coffee: Slavery-like Working Conditions and Deadly Pesticides on Brazilian Coffee Plantations Summary: Brazil’s coffee industry has serious problems with working conditions that are analogous to slavery, life- threatening pesticides and scarce protective equipment. Danwatch has confronted the world’s largest coffee companies with the facts of these violations. Jacobs Douwe Egberts admits that it is possible that coffee from plantations with poor labour conditions ended up in their products, and coffee giant Nestlé acknowledges having purchased coffee from two plantations where authorities freed workers from conditions analogous to slavery in 2015. Debt bondage, child labour, deadly pesticides, a lack of protective equipment, and workers without contracts. Danwatch has been on assignment in Brazil and can prove that coffee workers in the world’s largest coffee-growing nation work under conditions that contravene both Brazilian law and international conventions. Danwatch has confronted some of the world’s largest coffee companies with the facts surrounding these illegal working conditions. Two coffee giants admit that coffee from plantations where working conditions resembled slavery according to the Brazilian authorities may have ended up in their supply chains. Details: Copenhagen, Denmark: Danwatch, 2016. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://www.danwatch.dk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Danwatch-Bitter-Coffee-MARCH-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Labor Shelf Number: 147292 |
Author: Caprirolo, Dino Title: Custos de bem-estar do crime no Brasil: Um país de contrastes (Cost of welfare of crime in Brazil: A Country of Contrasts) Summary: n 2014, violence cost US $ 75,894 million to Brazil or 3.14% of GDP. This represents 53% of the total cost of crime in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Brazil stands out for its high spending on private security (48% of the total cost of crime). Public expenditure is the second largest component (36% of costs), while social costs make up the smallest part (16% of the cost). The cost of crime between states and regions is similar in terms of heterogeneity to that observed in LAC countries. There are states whose cost corresponds to about 2% of GDP, while in others violence costs about three times more. The heterogeneity also manifests itself in terms of composition: in some states, social costs represent a relatively large share, while in others, public or private spending accounts for the highest costs of crime. Details: Washington, DC Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento. Divisão de Capacidade Institucional do Estado, 2017. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Nota técnica do BID ; 1243: Accessed February 24, 2017 at: https://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/8131/Custos-de-bem-estar-do-crime-no-Brasil-um-pais-de-contrastes.pdf?sequence=1 (In Portuguese) Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Costs of Crime Shelf Number: 141209 |
Author: Carvalho, Alexandre Title: Socioeconomic Structure, Self-Fulfillment, Homicides and Spatial Dependence in Brazil Summary: In this article we develop a theoretical model to explain the homicide rate in any given place and construct a Bayesian model with a spatial structure to test the hypotheses. We assume that in his quest for self-fulfillment the individual, when taking the decision to perpetrate violence, not only responds to expected economic costs and benefits, but also to an internal system of reward and punishment, synthesized by the emotions. Symbolic valuation, in particular, with respect to conventional rules and the subjective valuation of life itself, depends on socioeconomic and age-group bonds. Theoretical conclusions show that the probability of victimization by violence is higher in places with greater income inequality, larger proportion of youths in the population and socioeconomic vulnerability. The model tested covered 5.507 Brazilian municipalities from 1999 to 2001, and we calculated the risk of a resident in any given municipality being a victim of homicide. This variable was confronted with other structural variables in order to obtain homicide elasticities and the effect of spatial dependency in explaining the risk of local victimization. The results suggest that there is evidence to support the theoretical propositions. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Institute for Applied Economic Research, 2005. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: IPEA Discussion Paper No. 1105: Accessed February 24, 2017 at: http://www.ipea.gov.br/agencia/images/stories/PDFs/TDs/ingles/dp_151.pdf Year: 2005 Country: Brazil Keywords: Economics of Crime Shelf Number: 141210 |
Author: Mastrigt, Jody van Title: CCTV Beyond Surveillance: Implications Towards Police Legitimacy of the UPP in the favela Rocinha Summary: This thesis aims to show the impact of the CCTV cameras installed by the Pacification Project on the police legitimacy of the UPP in Rio de Janeiro’s favela, Rocinha. By conducting fieldwork in Rocinha and using the theoretical framework of modern police legitimacy theory, this paper examined the performances of the cameras as perceived by the residents to understand its impact on the UPP police legitimacy. This thesis argued that CCTV as a technological tool used by the police has had a negative impact on the police legitimacy in Rocinha. In addition, the thesis also examined the use of smart phones to monitor the police by the residents in Rocinha. To further interpret its impact on the favela, the analytical concept sousveillance has been used to examine the empirical data. The engagement of the residents monitoring the police has also shown to have a negative impact on the legitimacy of the police in Rocinha. Details: Utrecht, NL: Utrecht University, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 28, 2017 at: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/338218 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: CCTV Shelf Number: 141230 |
Author: Denyer-Willis, Graham Title: Smarter Policing: Tracking the Influence of New Information Technology in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Technological advancements are changing the architecture of police-society relations around the world. New modes of oversight, whether applied by public security entities or citizens, are dramatically transforming the way policing is conducted. This is especially the case in digitally connected cities in the North and South. Surprisingly little is known, however, about how technology can be used to drive reform in police institutions including in Rio de Janeiro, where the relationships between police and residents are characterized by mistrust. A key objective of the Smart Policing project, a partnership of the Igarapé Institute and the Policia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ), is to explore ways to enhance police accountability through technology. The following Strategic Note considers how the recently installed pacification police units (Unidades de Policia Pacificadora or UPP) are using technology to recapture urban territory from drug trafficking groups while simultaneously expanding trust and reciprocity with citizens. It examines how technological innovations at the street level, including mobile phone applications, can potentially strengthen the integrity of police work and the social contract. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarapé Institute, 2013. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 10: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Smarter_Policing_ing.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 141323 |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Securing the Border: Brazil's Summary: Brazil is at a crossroads in the fight against transnational organized crime. For one, Brazil is claiming a wider involvement in the international peace and security agenda and pursuing priorities overseas. At the same time, the country is adopting what might be described as a "South American first" approach to dealing with narco-trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering and cybercrime. It consists of investing in subregional institutions and discrete bilateral agreements in its near abroad. This more localized approach is contributing to the consolidation of Brazilian state institutions in its hinterland. But what direction will Brazil take in the coming decade? This Strategic Paper offers an overview of the scope and scale of organized crime in Latin America and Brazil more specifically. It critically reviews Brazil's normative and institutional responses – both regional and national – and considers likely future security postures. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarapé Institute, 2013. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 5: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/AE-05_EN_Securing-the-border.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Arms Smuggling Shelf Number: 146410 |
Author: Moestue, Helen Title: "When Kids Call the Shots": Testing a Child Security Index in Recife, Brazil Summary: The Child Security Index (CSI) is a comprehensive assessment of children's perception of everyday violence. It consists of a digital survey that registers their fears, hopes, thoughts, beliefs and day-to-day experiences. The CSI is an open source application and online dashboard that spatially and temporally maps survey-collected data. The CSI was designed to identify the views of children between 8 and 12 years old, and for younger children through the use of adult proxy informants. It offers a platform to facilitate children's participation in understanding how they experience insecurity. The goal is to shine a light on the scale of the problem in low-income settings. This Strategic Paper describes the first pilot study of the Child Security Index (CSI) and its usage as an open source application to capture children's perceptions on violence. The app was tested in hot spot neighborhoods in Recife, capital city of Pernambuco state in Brazil. The survey collected data showed that the gender and age of respondents were more important explanatory factors than location. Younger children in particular reported lower levels of insecurity in comparison to adolescents and adults. Gender-based differences regarding perceived levels of insecurity in certain spaces, especially public venues, were also noted among teens, with girls expressing more fear of outside spaces than boys. The experience in Recife demonstrated that the CSI as a digital survey app can be used as a rapid security assessment technology which can also be adapted to other research questions and contexts. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarapé Institute. 2015. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 18: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/AE-18_CSI-Recife_EN-27-11_2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Children and Violence Shelf Number: 141326 |
Author: Diniz, Gustavo Title: Deconstructing Cyber Security in Brazil: Threats and Responses Summary: Brazil is doubling down on its cyber-security architecture while simultaneously consolidating its emerging power status. Although organized crime is one of the major threats to Brazilian cyberspace, resources are focused instead on military solutions better suited to the exceptional case of warfare. There is less emphasis on expanding law enforcement capabilities to identify and respond to cyber-crime and related digital malfeasance. Due to the absence of a unified government position on the issue or reliable data, Brazil has evolved an imbalanced approach to cyber-security. If Brazil is to re-balance its approach, it needs to fill knowledge gaps. At a minimum, policy makers require a better understanding of the strategies, tactics and resources of hackers and cyber-crime groups, the ways in which traditional crime is migrating online and the implications of new surveillance technologies. The government should also encourage a broad debate with a clear communications strategy about the requirements of cyber-security and what forms this might take. More critical reflection on the form and content of measured and efficient strategies to engage cyber threats is also needed. Improved coordination between state police forces to better anticipate and respond to cyber-crime is essential. If Brazil is to build a robust and effective cyber-security strategy, an informed debate must begin immediately. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Igarapé , 2014. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 11: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Strategic-Paper-11-Cyber2.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Computer Crime Shelf Number: 141328 |
Author: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Brazil Institute Title: Handling Systemic Corruption in Brazil. A Conversation with Judge Sergio Fernando Moro Summary: Inspired by the hopeful evolution of the nation’s crisis, the Brazil Institute launched in July 2016 a lecture series to explore the various institutional aspects of this historic, ongoing transformation in Latin America’s largest country. The initiative, reflective of a broader Wilson Center focus on the global fight against corruption, brings to Washington audiences the judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, legal experts, and practitioners engaged in the evolution of justice and rule of law in Brazil. The series is conducted in partnership with the American University's Washington College of Law program on Legal and Judicial Studies. Edited proceedings of each lecture will be available online, with lectures from the entire series collected in a volume to be published in the second semester of 2017. It is our hope that the statements gathered in this series will shed light on the ongoing efforts of a diverse group of actors to strengthen Brazilian institutions, and deepen the dialogue on rule of law both within and beyond Brazil. - Details: Washington, DC: The Institute, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2017 at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/bi_rule_of_law-sergio_moro_finalv2.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Justice Systems Shelf Number: 144443 |
Author: Brazil Ministry of Justice Title: Levantamento Nacional DE INFORMAÇÕES PENITENCIÁRIAS Inoopen - December 2014 (National Survey of Information Penitentiary INFOPEN - December 2014) Summary: Provides statistics and information on prisons and prisoners in Brazil. Details: Ministry of Justice, 2014. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2017 at: http://www.justica.gov.br/seus-direitos/politica-penal/documentos/infopen_dez14.pdf (in Portuguese) Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Inmates Shelf Number: 144511 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "The State Let Evil Take Over": The Prison Crisis in the Brazilian State of Pernambuco Summary: Brazil's prisons are a human-rights disaster. Detainees—even those who have not been convicted of a crime—are routinely held in overcrowded, violent, and disease-ridden cells. Overcrowding in the prisons of the northeastern state of Pernambuco is especially dire. The prisons hold more than three times as many inmates as their official capacity in conditions that are dangerous, unhealthy, and inhumane. During visits to Pernambuco's prisons in 2015, a researcher from Human Rights Watch entered a windowless cell without beds, in which 37 men slept on sheets on the floor. Another, which had six cement bunks for 60 men, lacked even enough floor space. A tangle of makeshift hammocks made it difficult to cross the room, and one man was sleeping sitting up, tying himself to the bars of the door so that he wouldn’t slump over onto other men. In that cell, the stench of sweat, feces and mold was overpowering. Poor sanitation and ventilation, combined with overcrowding and lack of adequate medical care, allow disease to spread among inmates. The prevalence of HIV infection in Pernambuco's prisons is 42 times that of the general population; the prevalence of tuberculosis is almost 100 times that of the general population. Prison clinics are understaffed, medication is scarce, and ill detainees are often not taken to hospitals for lack of police escort. The prisons in Pernambuco are severely short-staffed, with fewer than one guard for every 30 prisoners, the worst ratio in Brazil, where the average ratio is one for every eight, according to official data. Brazil’s Ministry of Justice considers appropriate a ratio of one guard to every five prisoners. At one prison in Pernambuco that holds 2,300 inmates—a "semi-open" facility where some inmates are allowed to come and go for work—only four guards are on duty during each shift, its director told Human Rights Watch. The extreme overcrowding and lack of sufficient staff make it impossible for prison authorities to exercise adequate official control within the prison grounds. In response, they have adopted a practice of delegating authority to a single inmate within each pavilion—fenced-in areas within the prison walls that usually contain multiple cell blocks and more than 100 inmates. The chosen inmates are commonly referred to as "keyholders" because they are given the keys to the pavilion and the cells within, and tasked with maintaining order inside. Prison staff retain control only outside the pavilions. The keyholders sell drugs, extort payments from fellow prisoners, and require them to pay for places to sleep, according to current and former detainees, family members, and two state officials Human Rights Watch interviewed. They deploy "militias" made up of other inmates to threaten and beat those who do not pay their debts or who question their rule. Prison officials either turn a blind eye or participate in the keyholders' rackets and receive kickbacks, according to several interviewees, including a prison director. Extreme overcrowding also puts detainees at risk of sexual violence. Human Rights Watch interviewed two detainees who said they were gang raped and reported the attacks to guards who ignored them. In one of the cases, an investigation was opened only after a representative of the state’s Human Rights Ombudsman's Office pressed the authorities to take action. The other case was never investigated, according to the victim. A major factor contributing to overcrowding in Pernambuco's prisons has been the failure to provide detainees with “custody hearings.” These hearings, in which a detainee appears before a judge promptly after being arrested, are required under international law but have not—until recently—been provided to detainees in Pernambuco or most other states in Brazil. The hearings allow a judge to make an informed determination about whether a detainee should be held or released pending trial and also to examine detainees for evidence of police brutality. Without custody hearings, detainees waiting to see a judge for the first time may spend many months in overcrowded cells. On August 14, 2015, Pernambuco began providing custody hearings to detainees allegedly caught in the act of committing a crime in Recife, the state capital. With this new policy, Pernambuco joins a growing number of states that have begun holding custody hearings with the assistance of the National Council of Justice. A previously published Human Rights Watch study of a similar program in the state of Maranhão found that custody hearings helped prevent the unlawful arbitrary imprisonment of suspected nonviolent offenders while they awaited trial. From October 2014 to March 2015, when judges held custody hearings, they released about 60 percent of arrestees on the grounds that pretrial detention was not warranted. By contrast, when they decided primarily on the basis of police reports without seeing the arrestee, judges released pretrial suspects only about 10 percent of the time. Nearly 60 percent of the nearly 32,000 people held in Pernambuco's prisons have not been convicted of a crime. Suspects accused of such non-violent crimes as possessing small amounts of drugs or of minor theft are frequently held in the same cells as convicted large-scale drug dealers and gang members. The practice of incarcerating pre-trial detainees with convicted criminals violates international and Brazilian law. Severe delays in judicial processing of cases violate the rights of detainees and fuel prison overcrowding. One man spent six years in a Pernambuco prison, pre-trial, without ever seeing a judge for any kind of hearing; another was held in prison a decade beyond completing his sentence, according to the state's Public Defender's Office, which filed habeas corpus petitions to get both men released. Details: New York: HRW, 2015. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2017 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/news_attachments/brazil1015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Human Rights Abuses Shelf Number: 144512 |
Author: Kejerfors, Johan Title: Parenting in Urban Slum Areas: Families with Children in a Shantytown of Rio de Janeiro Summary: This is a study of parenting and child development in a slum area in a developing part of the world. The aims of the study were threefold. The first aim was to explore the physical and social contexts for parenting in a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro using an ecological perspective. The second aim was to examine parenting and subsequent child outcomes among a sample of families living in the shantytown. The third aim was to explore what factors contribute to differences among parents in how they nurture and protect their children. The theoretical framework of the study was an updated version of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development. Using self-report questionnaires developed by Rohner, data on perceived parental acceptance-rejection were collected from 72 families with adolescents 12-14 years old, representing approx. 75% of all households with children in this age group in the shantytown. Besides self-report questionnaires, each adolescent's main caregiver replied to several standardized questionnaires developed by Garbarino et al., eliciting demographic and social- situational data about the family, neighborhood, and wider community. The results of the study paint a complex portrait of the social living conditions of the parents and children. Despite many difficulties, most parents seemed to raise their children with loving care. The results from the self-report questionnaires indicate that the majority of the adolescents perceived substantial parental acceptance. The adolescents' experience of greater or lesser parental acceptance-rejection seems to influence their emotional and behavioral functioning; it also seems to be related to their school attendance. Much of the variation in degree of perceived acceptance-rejection seems to be related both to characteristics of the individual adolescents and their main caregiver(s) and to influences from the social and environmental context in which they and their caregivers interact and live their lives. Details: Stockholm: Stockholm University Department of Social Work, 2007. 246p. Source: Internet Resource: Studies in International Social Work, 1651-0291 ; 7Accessed April 21, 2017 at: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:197529/FULLTEXT01.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Brazil Keywords: At-risk Youth Shelf Number: 145066 |
Author: Waiselfisz, Julio Jacobo Title: Mapa da Violencia 2016: Homicidio de Mulheres no Brasil (Map of Violence 2016: Homicide for firearms in Brazil) Summary: The study focuses on the evolution of firearms homicides in Brazil from 1980 to 2014. The incidence of factors such as sex, race / color, and age of the victims of this mortality is also studied. The characteristics of the evolution of firearms homicides in the 27 Units of the Federation, in the 27 Capitals and in the municipalities with high levels of mortality caused by firearms are pointed out. Details: Brasilia: Ministerio da Justica, Instituto Sangari, 2016. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2017 at: http://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/ Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics Shelf Number: 145151 |
Author: Missionary Council for Indigenous Peoples Title: Violence against the Indigenous Peoples in Brazil: Data for 2015. Summary: The Report on Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil - Data for 2015, published by the Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI), highlights the persistence of the public authorities' omission in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples, especially in relation to the right to land, which drastically impacts on their right to live in their traditional way, both recognized and guaranteed by the Brazilian Federal Constitution. It is with a feeling of the most profound indignation that the Indigenist Missionary Council (Conselho Indigenista Missionario - Cimi) presents this report on Violence against the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil with the data for the respective occurrences in 2015. Indignation because the same criminal practices are being repeated and intensified without any effective measures having been taken The situation of omission on the part of the authorities continues; they deny their respect for the Constitution and fail to comply with its provisions in regard to the demarcation, protection and surveillance of the lands; the reality of aggression against persons who struggle for their legitimate rights persists in the form of assassinations, beatings, threats to kill; the attacks against communities grow worse, especially those against the more fragile ones and those that live in camps; the invasion and devastation of the demarcated lands goes on. Details: Brasilia: The Council, 2015. 180p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: http://www.cimi.org.br/pub/relatorio2015/Report-Violence-against-the-Indigenous-Peoples-in-Brazil_2015_Cimi.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Shelf Number: 145190 |
Author: Sant'Anna, Andre Albuquerque Title: Deforestation, land conflicts and violence in Brazil Summary: This paper examines the correlation between deforestation, land conflicts and violence, measured by homicides, in Rural Brazil. It follows the framework proposed by Santanna and Young (2011), originally applied to the Brazilian Amazon, extending it to the rest of the country. A two-stage regression analysis was carried out but the main results remain the same as previous studies: deforestation and violence are associated and supports the hypothesis that both result from a poor definition of property rights. Details: Unpublished paper, 2011. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: http://www.naurocampos.net/pnbr/papers/Young_paper.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 145191 |
Author: Ingram, Matthew C. Title: Targeting Violence Reduction in Brazil: Policy Implications from a Spatial Analysis of Homicide Summary: Violence in Latin America generates heavy economic, social and political costs for individuals, communities and societies. A particularly pernicious effect of violence is that it undermines citizen confidence in democracy and in their own government. Responding to public fear, politicians across the region have hastily adopted a wide range of policy responses to violence, ranging from militarizing public security, to 'mano dura' crack downs, to negotiating truces with organized crime, to decriminalizing illicit economic activity. Although many of these policies are politically expedient, few are based on evidence of how public policy actually affects rates of violence. By contrast, this paper examines how violence clusters within a country-Brazil-to study how public policies affect homicide rates and how these policies might be further tailored geographically to have greater impact. Brazil provides a particularly useful case for examining the effectiveness of violence-reduction strategies because of the availability of comparable data collected systematically across 5562 municipal units. This allows for an explicitly spatial approach to examining geographic patterns of violence-how violence in one municipality is related to violence in neighboring municipalities, and how predictors of violence are also conditioned by geography. The key added value of the spatial perspective is that it addresses the dependent structure of the data, accounting for the fact that units of analysis (here, municipalities) are connected to each other geographically. In this way, the spatial perspective accounts for the fact that what happens in nearby units may have a meaningful impact on the outcome of interest in a home, focal unit. Thus, the spatial approach is better able to examine compelling phenomena like the spread of violence across units. We visualize data on six types of homicide-aggregate homicides, homicides of men, homicides of women (i.e., "femicides"), firearm-related homicides, youth homicides (ages 15-29) and homicides of victims identified by race as either black or brown (mulatto), i.e., non-white victims-all for 2011, presenting these data in maps. We adopt a municipal level of analysis, and include homicide data from 2011 for the entire country, i.e., on all 5562 municipalities across 27 states (including the Federal District). This allows us to develop maps that identify specific municipalities that constitute cores of statistically significant clusters of violence for each type of homicide. These clusters offer a useful tool for targeting policies aimed at reducing violence. We then develop an analysis based on a spatial regression model, using predictors from the 2010 census and other official sources in Brazil. This paper finds that areas with higher rates of marginalization and of households headed by women who also work and have young children experience higher rates of homicide, which suggests increased support for policies aimed at reducing both marginalization and family disruption. More specifically, the paper finds that policies that expand local coverage of the Bolsa Familia poverty reduction program and reduce the environmental footprint of large, industrial development projects tend to reduce homicide rates, but primarily for certain types of homicide. Thus, violence-reduction policies need to be targeted by type of violence. In addition, the spatial analysis presented in the paper suggests that violence-reduction policies should be targeted regionally rather than at individual communities - informed by the cluster analysis and the spatial regression. Finally, this paper argues that policies aimed at femicides, gun-related homicides, youth homicides and homicides of non-whites should be especially sensitive to geographic patterns, and be built around territorially-targeted policies over and above national policies aimed at homicide more generally. Details: Washington, DC: Latin America Initiative Foreign Policy at BROOKINGS, 2014. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ingram-Policy-Brief.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Analysis Shelf Number: 145192 |
Author: Ingram, Matthew C. Title: Geographies of Violence: A Spatial Analysis of Five Types of Homicide in Brazil's Municipalities Summary: Objectives: Examine the spatial distribution of five types of homicide across Brazil's 5,562 municipalities and test the effects of family disruption, marginalization, poverty-reduction programs, environmental degradation, and the geographic diffusion of violence. Methods: Cluster analysis and spatial error, spatial lag, and geographically-weighted regressions. Results: Maps visualize clusters of high and low rates of different types of homicide. Core results from spatial regressions show that some predictors have uniform or stationary effects across all units, while other predictors have uneven, non-stationary effects. Among stationary effects, family disruption has a harmful effect across all types of homicide except femicide, and environmental degradation has a harmful effect, increasing the rates of femicide, gun-related, youth, and nonwhite homicides. Among non-stationary effects, marginalization has a harmful effect across all measures of homicide but poses the greatest danger to nonwhite populations in the northern part of Brazil; the poverty-reduction program Bolsa Familia has a protective, negative effect for most types of homicides, especially for gun-related, youth, and nonwhite homicides. Lastly, homicide in nearby communities increases the likelihood of homicide in one's home community, and this holds across all types of homicide. The diffusion effect also varies across geographic areas; the danger posed by nearby violence is strongest in the Amazon region and in a large section of the eastern coast. Conclusions: Findings help identify the content of violence-reduction policies, how to prioritize different components of these policies, and how to target these policies by type of homicide and geographic area for maximum effect. Details: Notre Dame, IN: The Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2015. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Working Paper Series: #405: Accessed April 29, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2604096 Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Analysis Shelf Number: 145194 |
Author: Arvate, Paulo Title: The Fire-Armed Police Effect: Evidences from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in Brazil Summary: We estimate the impact of fire-armed police on violent crimes (homicides and acts of aggression) in a quasi-natural experiment in Brazil. In 2003, Brazilian legislators approved a law that regulates the use of firearms by the municipal police. We explore the population eligibility criterion as an instrumental variable of firearm possession in a linear regression discontinuity design. We find robust results that a municipal police force with firearms significantly reduces homicides and acts of aggression between 2002 and 2012. Moreover, we find suggestive evidence of more arrests, the incapacitation of criminals, and absence of deterrence. Details: Sao Paul: Sao Paulo School of Economics, 2016. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 429: Accessed April 29, 2017 at: http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/bitstream/handle/10438/17289/TD%20429%20-%20PauloArvate_AndrePortela.pdf;jsessionid=20D08059DC184CE94F636C30BDD32B62?sequence=1 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Arrests and Apprehensions Shelf Number: 145195 |
Author: Arvate, Paulo Title: Lighting and Violent Crime: Evaluating the effect of an electrification policy in rural Brazil on violent crime reduction Summary: This paper estimates the effect of lighting on violent crime reduction. We explore an electrification program (LUZ PARA TODOS or Light for All - LPT) adopted by the federal government to expand electrification to rural areas in all Brazilian municipalities in the 2000s as an exogenous source of variation in electrification expansion. Our instrumental variable results show a reduction in homicide rates (approximately five homicides per 100,000 inhabitants) on rural roads/urban streets when a municipality moved from no access to full coverage of electricity between 2000 and 2010. These findings are even more significant in the northern and northeastern regions of Brazil, where rates of electrification are lower than those of the rest of the country and, thus, where the program is concentrated. In the north (northeast), the number of violent deaths on the streets per 100,000 inhabitants decreased by 48.12 (13.43). This moved a municipality at the 99th percentile (75th) to the median (zero) of the crime distribution of municipalities. Finally, we do not find effects on violent deaths in households and at other locations. Because we use an IV strategy by exploring the LPT program eligibility criteria, we can interpret the results as the estimated impact of the program on those experiencing an increase in electricity coverage due to their program eligibility. Thus, the results represent local average treatment effects of lighting on homicides. Details: Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo School of Economics, 2016. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 408: Accessed April 29, 2017 at: http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/bitstream/handle/10438/15094/TD%20408%20-%20CMICRO33.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Prevention Shelf Number: 145196 |
Author: Machado, Marta Rodriguez de Assis Title: Punitive Anti-Racism Laws in Brazil: An Overview of the Enforcement of Law by Brazilian Courts Summary: This paper presents the main results of research on judicial decisions connected to the enforcement of punitive anti-racism laws in by Brazilian appeal courts. We analyzed 200 decisions from 1998 to 2010 which are available through the online databases of the appeal courts of nine Brazilian States: namely Acre, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rondonia, Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo. The data presented allow us to diagnosis how the Brazilian judiciary deals with racism and racial discrimination and to understand the potential and limitations of existing legal instruments to confront the social problem of racism in Brazil. In the paper's introduction, we will carry out a brief review of Brazilian punitive anti-racism laws, address some literature on the subject and, then, shift our focus to the specific legal provisions that regulate such crimes. In Section 2, we will explain our methodological choices and advance conclusions regarding the interpretation of the data. In Section Three, we will present our main quantitative findings. In the conclusion, we will discuss the implications of these findings, while raising some important issues regarding the strategy of juridificating racism via criminal law. Ultimately, we will posit future developments of this research agenda Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2017 at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/microsites/public-research-leadership/marta_macho_-_punitive_anti-racism_laws_in_brazil.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bias Crimes Shelf Number: 145233 |
Author: Tierney, Julia Title: Peace Through the Metaphor of War: From police pacification to governance transformation in Rio de Janeiro Summary: The history of the military police in Rio de Janeiro is a history of violence. Police violence peaked during the democratic era when they have killed more civilians annually than the total disappeared during the military dictatorship. Their violence unduly targets the urban poor, those living in favelas, where poverty intersects with informality, where insecurity manifests in unprotected spaces, from inadequate infrastructure to lack of land title; from stigmatization as territories of criminality to violence as drug traffickers and militias battle each other, and the military police, for control. The pacification police are an attempt to reverse this history. The pacification police are the most prolific and contentious public security policy in Rio de Janeiro's recent history. Their official objective is to restore security to spaces once governed by armed criminals. But while pacifying the informal settlements they are also pacifying the military police. As the state on the streets, or its most visible aspect in the informal settlements, they are the locus of community concerns and interlocutors with public authorities. The pacification police are altering perceptions of the police in the eyes of residents and reforming what it means to be a law enforcement officer in the minds of police. They are unintentionally connecting a state that was distant from the informal settlements and complicit in the violence inside them to the urban poor. The pacification police are beginning to transform urban governance across Rio de Janeiro. Details: Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 9, 2017 at: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/73830#files-area Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 131387 |
Author: Monteiro, Joana Title: Effects of Natural Resource Abundance and Neighborhood Violence on Economic Development Summary: This thesis is comprised of three articles. The first two chapters study the effects of natural resource abundance on economic development by analyzing Brazil's offshore oil boom and the distribution of royalties to municipalities. In the first chapter, we examine the impact of this oil boom on local economies. We show that oil production has little economic impact on the municipalities, other than in the public sector. By far, the most important effect is on the number of public employees, which increased a great deal from 1997 to 2006. Few improvements were found on health and educational services. The second chapter analyzes oil effects on local politics. We show evidence that oil does not make leaders unaccountable and that a democratic system is crucial to avoid the negative effects of resource abundance. Our results indicate that, although oil windfall creates a large incumbency advantage in the short run, voters reward incumbents by reappointing them to office as long as they are not completely informed of the size of the extraordinary revenue and see increases in public employment as an indication of mayor's ability. In the medium run, as information about the resources increases and a larger public sector does not translate into more public goods and services, citizens oust the incumbent and select new candidates. The third chapter investigates a different subject. We analyze the relationship between neighborhood violence and school achievement, by exploring time and geographical variation in Rio de Janeiro's drug battles. We find that schools close to areas that experience more variation in armed conflicts over time perform worse in standardized math exams, while no significant effect is found on language exams. Violent events are also associated with an increase in grade repetition and dropout for 5th graders. In terms of mobility across schools, we find no significant effects of violence on students' transfers and new admissions during the school year. We also discuss the mechanisms that can explain these results and provide evidence that violence is associated with an increase in teacher absenteeism. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro,, 2010. 149p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 10, 2017 at: http://www.rio.rj.gov.br/dlstatic/10112/1806097/DLFE-237573.pdf/JoanaC.M.MonteiroDMH.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug-Related Violence Shelf Number: 131177 |
Author: Cerqueira, Daniel R.C. Title: Mapa dos Homicidios Ocultos no Brasil Summary: Based on the Mortality Information System (SIM), the number of hidden homicides (HOs) in each Brazilian Federal Unit (UF) was estimated, considering deaths that were erroneously classified as "indeterminate cause". Analyzed the socioeconomic and situational characteristics associated to each of the almost 1.9 million violent deaths occurred in the country between 1996 and 2010. The results of this study indicated that the number of homicides in the country would be 18.3% higher than the official records , Which represents about 8,600 unrecognized homicides each year. As a result, estimates indicated that Brazil surpassed the annual mark of 60,000 deaths from aggression. The calculations also showed that the substantial increase in the homicide rate in many states of Brazil, and particularly in the Northeast, did not occur, but that the official indexes were driven by the decrease in the under-reporting that occurred with the improvement in the quality of the SIM. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a worrying phenomenon of increasing violent deaths, the intent of which has not been determined. This fact did not occur in a generalized way in the country, but it was circumscribed, mainly, to seven states: Rio de Janeiro; Bay; Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco; Roraima; Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo Details: Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada ipea 2013. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2017 at: http://www.institutoelo.org.br/site/files/publications/95e3d6a71f009059e3585fc38bbab64b.pdf (Article is in Spanish) Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics Shelf Number: 145403 |
Author: McLennan, J.D. Title: Risk factors, pathways and outcomes for youth released from juvenile detention centres in Sao Paulo, Brazil Summary: This project explores the exposures and outcomes of youth who have come into conflict with the law and experienced an incarceration in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The rights of such youth may not be realized before, during and after incarceration in juvenile detention centres. They represent an important marginalized group of youth for whom greater study is required and interventions needed to improve their life outcomes and the realization of their rights. This CIDA-funded study was composed of four components: (i) a cross sectional study of youth incarcerated in detention facilities in Sao Paulo, Brazil, (ii) a follow-up of these youth one year after they were discharged from the detention centres, (iii) in-depth interviews with a subsample of these youth and their parents, and (iv) the production of a video about and by youth who had had such experiences. Many important results were generated from this study and are detailed in the following report. Key findings were as follows. 1. Many of the youth incarcerated in detention facilities in Sao Paulo, Brazil experienced multiple violent exposures prior to their incarceration (e.g., being beaten up or seeing someone get shot at). 2. Many of these same youth were not fully integrated in society (e.g., not attending school, not engaged in recreational activities). 3. Many of these same youth were economically disadvantaged 4. Many of these youth did not have proper access to legal support during the detention episode. 5. Many of the youth did not return to school or stay in school after discharge from the detention facilities. 6. Many of the youth did not find work or were not able to maintain employment once leaving the detention facilities. 7. Very few youth had access to or participated in recreational activities after leaving the detention facilities. Details: Canadian International Development Agency, 2006. 113p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://www.eldis.org/go/home&id=31240&type=Document#.WUPmnuvyvcs Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Juvenile Detention Shelf Number: 146202 |
Author: Loureiro, Paulo R.A. Title: Brazilian Criminality: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis Summary: This study aims at shedding light on the issue of criminality in Brazil. Previous analyses have concentrated on the impact of social factors, such as inequality, on criminality, however without making explicit the mechanism by which this variable works. The main hypothesis here is that the agent has a targeted consumption pattern given by average social standards. Non-satisfied consumption creates dissatisfaction, thus making the agent vulnerable to criminal activities. Using Becker's analysis (1968) in the inter-temporal maximizing framework, this study shows that the income required so as not engaging in illicit activities increases proportionally with the degree of dissatisfaction. Following the methodological approach, we tested the influence of social inequality on criminality rates for a sample of Brazilian states during the 1987-95 periods, using a panel data approach. The use of this method allows for estimators capable of taking into account the existing heterogeneity among states. The main result that emerges is that social inequality given by the Gini coefficient has a positive impact on criminality rates. Details: Brasilia: Department of Economics, University of Brasilia, 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2017 at: https://ideas.repec.org/p/brs/wpaper/340.html Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 146727 |
Author: Ferroni, Matteo Francesco Title: Which are the Causes of Criminality in Brazil? Summary: The objective of this study is to better understand the determinants of criminality rate in Brazil, more specifically the determinants of homicides. I based myself on Becker's model of criminal rational behavior. After selecting some economical and sociological variables, I run a cross sectional regression using the data of 2010 from 608 Brazilian municipalities. My main result suggests that inequality has an impact on the homicide rate while poverty does not. Furthermore, there is evidence proving that urbanization and unemployment are positively related to the homicides, whereas education is negatively related. On the other hand the age composition of the population is positively related only until a certain level. Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2017 at: http://www.economicsocietybocconi.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ferroni1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 146728 |
Author: Partnership Africa Canada Title: Fugitives and Phantoms: The Diamond Exporters of Brazil Summary: Brazil's diamond sector is in crisis. Three of the country's largest diamond producers and exporters have been arrested and are now facing an array of criminal charges. A joint task force of Brazil's Federal Police, Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and Internal Revenue Service have alleged that the three are behind a mega scheme for smuggling diamonds using fraudulent Kimberley Certificates. According to police, the smuggled diamonds come partly from domestic garimpeiro production, partly from Indian reserves where diamond mining is outlawed, and partly from Africa. The head of Brazil's National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM) in Minas Gerais - responsible for issuing Kimberley Certificates - has also been arrested. He too, is facing charges, and has been fired from his post as Minas Gerais director. Diamond exports have been suspended while Brazil's Federal Police investigate the fraudulent export of nearly US$3 million dollars worth of diamonds by Hassan Ahmad, owner of a Belo Horizonte firm called Primeira Gema. This fraud, involving Brazil's Kimberley Certificate 64, was first uncovered by Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) in May 2005. Within the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM), a special committee has been charged with examining the circumstances of Certificate 64 and making a report on the fraud by the middle of March 2006. The US$ 3 million Certificate 64 fraud, however, is but the tip of the iceberg. Further investigation by PAC has uncovered a wealth of evidence proving that for diamond exports from Brazil, fraud is not the exception, but the norm. In this report, PAC reveals that the same never-worked mining claims listed as the source of the diamonds in the US$3 million Certificate 64 scam are also given as the front for the diamonds in other fraudulent exports of nearly equal value. Furthermore, according to the DNPM's own statistics, the garimpeiro who owns these claims is Brazil's 6th largest diamond producer, responsible for 8.14% of Brazil's production in 2004. PAC's research reveals that this miner - who never once in his life touched a shovel - has been dead since 2001. In other words, Brazil's 6th largest diamond producer is a ghost. Brazil's fourth largest diamond producer, PAC also reveals in this report, is an indigent vagrant from Sao Paulo. In 2004, this phantom drifter produced nearly US$3.5 million worth of diamonds, 16.37% of Brazilian production, all of it exported with government issued Kimberley Certificates, none of them worth the paper they were printed on. Brazil's second largest diamond producer is a company named S.L. Mineradora, Ltda. Its owner, Paulo Traven of Juina, Mato Grosso, recently surrendered to Brazil's Federal Police, after spending a week as a fugitive on the run. After spending five days in jail, he was released, facing a variety of charges related to the illegal export of diamonds. On the production side, PAC reveals that some 25% of Brazil's diamond production by value came from fraudulent sources, and left the country with fraudulent Kimberley Certificates. Another 19% came from a source - Paulo Traven - who is now under criminal investigation. According to the production statistics, then, nearly 44% of Brazil's diamond production came from fraudulent or deeply suspect sources. The export statistics tell a similar tale. In this report, PAC reveals that some 53% of Brazil's exports by value in 2004 were the work of one man with a history in the African diamond trade, Hassan Ahmad. PAC demonstrates that Ahmad was almost certainly the perpetrator of the fraud involving Certificate 64. He, too, recently surrendered to Federal Police after spending a week on the run. He, too, is facing charges. Given this, there is good reason to suspect the legitimacy of Ahmad's other diamond exports. The production statistics, the export numbers, and PAC's research all point to one conclusion: 50% of Brazil's diamond production comes from fraudulent or highly suspect sources; one in two Brazilian Kimberley Certificates is probably false. Half the country's diamond exports are the work of fraudsters, fugitives and phantoms. In this report, PAC makes a number of recommendations for short, medium, and long-term reform of Brazil's system of internal diamond controls. Details: Ottawa: Partnership Africa Canada, 2006. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Occasional Paper #3: Accessed August 5, 2017 at: http://www.shawnblore.com/Reports/FugitivesPhantoms.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Conflict Diamonds Shelf Number: 146745 |
Author: Institute for Land, Work and Citizenship Title: Weaving Justice: Pretrial Prisoners in the City of Sao Paulo Summary: The excessive and arbitrary use of pretrial prison, even though a violation of human rights, still affects millions of people each year. Ignored by those who make policies and those who apply the law, it generates and deepens poverty, slows economic development, spreads diseases, and upsets the Democratic State. Pretrial prisoners may lose their jobs or residences, contract and transmit diseases, receive offers of corruption in exchange for freedom or better prison conditions, and suffer torture and physical/psychological harm which can last beyond their time in prison. The closer to the moment of arrest, the more the case's defense can have a positive impact not only for the person assisted, but also for the criminal justice case phase in general. Examples from various parts of the world reveal that interventions done near the time of arrest can reduce the use of pretrial prison, better the performance of the criminal justice authorities, allow more rational and effective decisions to be made, and elevate the level of responsibility and respect for the democratic state. The current forms of the apparatus for state social control have caused the exponential increase in the number of persons imprisoned, be it those who are awaiting sentencing or those already sentenced. The overcrowding of the prison system - a perfect setting for violation of human rights - is to a great degree caused by a serious problem in the access to justice: the excessive use of pretrial prison, which is the focus of this work. In this context of understanding "access to justice" as the application of rights protected by the State, it is important to identify some of these rights that are officially "protected" by the State, but in reality, are lacking. For instance the right to a fair trial, the fundamental guarantee of the presumption of innocence, and the right to a speedy trial are rarely implemented; in fact, the long amount of time in which they are held in pretrial custody can end up actually resulting in a type of advance payment on a possible sentence. This State policy worsens the already insufficient structure of the criminal justice system, which is unable to provide adequate physical space to these people, nor render juridical action fully alert to the rights of this population. The more direct result of this state option is the formation of tense and violent spaces inside and outside of the prisons. In 2009, the Open Society Institute began the Global Campaign for Pretrial Justice. Projects were initiated in 2010 and conducted simultaneously in various countries around the world, especially in Latin America and Africa, with the goals of promoting alternatives to pretrial imprisonment, increasing access to juridical assistance, increasing the number of public defenders acting at the moment of arrest, and giving incentives for the allocation of resources dedicated to public policies aimed at changes in the penal justice system. In Latin America, various countries such as Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia are engaged in similar projects. In Brazil, eight organizations conducted different projects and formed a network to study and propose public policies to reduce the negative impacts of pretrial prison for society. Thus, the Institute for Land, Work and Citizenship (ITTC) and the National Catholic Prison Ministry (PCr), with support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF), and through an agreement reached with the Sao Paulo Public Defender's Office (DPESP) , developed the Weaving Justice Project: rethinking pretrial prison, for attending and providing defense for pretrial prisoners recently detained at the Pinheiros Center for Pretrial Detention I (CDP I) and the Sant'Ana Women's Prison (PFS), beginning in June of 2010 and ending in December of 2011. Besides the work of legal intervention, a survey was completed regarding information about the profile of the prisoners assisted and about the judicial cases in which lawyers of the project acted. The present document shows the principal results of this experience. In the first part of the report, the objectives, the context, the methodology, the activities performed and the obstacles concerning the project are presented. The second part contains survey data collected from the questionnaires applied in the prison units, as well as data from the case information collection forms. Next, the report deals with some specific, emblematic cases which bring up important issues for debate. Finally, it presents the conclusions and recommendations made from the experience of this project. Details: Pastoral Carceraria, 2013. 94p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 28, 2017 at: http://carceraria.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Weaving-Justice-report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Pretrial Detention Shelf Number: 146919 |
Author: Carson, Lindsey Title: Mapping Corruption and its Institutional Determinants in Brazil Summary: This paper provides an overview of the status, sources, and forms of corruption in Brazil. While the country outperforms many of its regional and developmental peers on various corruption-related indicators, corruption continues to plague many areas of public life, most notably in regional and state governments, political parties, parliament, and public procurement at all levels of government. After analysing what various metrics reveal about the character and level of corruption in Brazil, we examine how specific scandals have impacted anti-corruption initiatives in the country. We conclude with an overview of the various institutions oriented towards fighting corruption in Brazil, highlighting how systemic failures and deficiencies undermine the performance of accountability mechanisms, particularly at the punishment level. Details: Manchester, UK: International Research Initiative on Brazil and Africa (IRIBA) School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, 2014. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: IRIBA Working paper : 08: Accessed September 14, 2017 at: http://www.brazil4africa.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/working_papers/IRIBA_WP08_Mapping_Corruption_and_its_Institutional_Derminants_in_Brazil.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bribery Shelf Number: 147246 |
Author: LaForge, Gordon Title: The Sum of Its Parts: Coordinating Brazil's Fight Against Corruption, 2003-2016 Summary: In 2003, reform-minded civil servants saw an opening to combat pervasive corruption within the government of Brazil. A new president who had promised to end political graft had just come into office. The question was how to secure the right legal instruments, overcome lack of capacity, and create the coordination needed to detect, prosecute, and sanction wrongdoers. The reformers organized an informal, whole-government network to combat money laundering and corruption. They identified shared priorities, coordinated interagency policy making, and tracked progress. Leaders in the judiciary, executive, and prosecutor's service drafted enabling legislation, strengthened monitoring, improved information sharing, and built institutional capacity and specialization. Gradually, those efforts bore fruit, and by 2016, authorities were prosecuting the biggest corruption case in the country's history and had disrupted an entrenched political culture. Details: Princeton, NJ: Innovations for Successful Societies, Princeton University, 2017. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2017 at: https://successfulsocieties.princeton.edu/sites/successfulsocieties/files/GLF_AC-Strategy_Brazil_FORMATTED_20Feb2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 147330 |
Author: Segundo, Marcio Title: Men, women and the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in four Brazilian cities: results from a qualitative and quantitative study Summary: Confronting sexual violence, sexual abuse, sex tourism, and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (CSECA)1 has relied upon efforts from civil society and the Brazilian state alike in order to make the goal of children's and adolescents' rights a reality. The phenomenon of CSECA involves cultural, social, economic, political, and legal factors. Aspects related to subjectivity, culture, values, norms and social representation connect CSECA to other, wider-reaching aspects of social life. Recognizing such social determinants' influences on practical culture and values becomes an important step toward social mobilization against CSECA. To promote further understanding of the practices and factors associated with CSECA, Promundo, with the support of Oak Foundation, carried out a qualitative and quantitative study to map and understand men and women's perceptions of CSECA in four Brazilian cities, seeking to understand to what extent the attitudes of men and women contribute to its perpetuation. Of the 602 men interviewed in Rio de Janeiro for this study, 14% said that they had engaged in sexual relations with minors under 18 years of age. And almost half of men who responded affirmatively to having had sexual relations with young girls between 12-17 years of age responded that engaging in such activity was a way for them to feel young. In addition, the percentage of men who affirmed to have had friends who had engaged in sexual relations with adolescents was more than double among those subjects who had engaged in sexual relations with adolescents than among those who had not. These results lead us to infer that peers have a major influence on other men to engage in transactional sexual relations with adolescents. The study also found that, in the case of sexual relations with adolescents under 18 years of age, children and adolescents were blamed for transactional sex and their behavior morally condemned: 41% of men in Rio and 46% of women affirmed that they considered sex work involving minors an act of "adolescent prostitution" as opposed to sexual exploitation. This may reflect a perception that the practice of CSECA as connected to a perceived "availability" of adolescents for transactional sex. Both men and women, on the other hand, condemned the participation of the youngest subset of adolescents in transactional sex. Here, the delineating factor was age. A majority condemned men who had transactional sex with adolescents between 12 and 14 years of age, placing the blame squarely on the men who abused them. Respondents often used terms such as 'animal,' 'crazy,' and 'sick' for men who had sex with girls in this age range. In addition, many respondents reacted with indignation at the behavior and created parallels between those children and the children with whom they live such as sisters and daughters and younger children victimized by men. When asked about male adolescent prostitution, there was a greater intolerance, or a greater tendency to "blame the victim." The blame for the practice fell on the boys and not with the government or the procurer - indicating a clear difference in gender perception between girls as victims and boys as having the agency to decide whether or not to participate in sex work. Simultaneously, these results lead us to affirm that, in legal terms, there is ample recognition of the fact that children and adolescents should be protected from all forms of abuse and sexual exploitation. Respondents hold the government responsible as enforcers of laws and measures that should punish adults who engage in sex with children and adolescents. The study also shows that many men who reported having had sex with underage adolescents also reported that they had had a romantic relationship with the adolescent (mostly girls), in effect alleging intimacy as a way to feel less exploitative. A number of men reported that they were unable to have sexual relations after having made a verbal agreement with the girl- again highlighting the tremendous ambiguity that men feel about this practice and providing a point of entry for prevention. The study also highlights the need to train health care professionals, educators, and members of the justice and legal system about the attitudes and practices of adults who sexually exploit children and adolescents, as well as the need for such professionals to reflect on their own attitudes toward the practice. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Promundo/Oak Foundation, 2012. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 29, 2017 at: https://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Men-Women-and-the-Commercial-Sexual-Exploitation-of-Children-and-Adolescents-in-Four-Brazilian-Cities.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Prostitution Shelf Number: 131619 |
Author: Zaluar, Alba Title: Youth, drug traffic and hyper-masculinity in Rio de Janeiro Summary: I began my ethnographic studies of violence in the city of Rio de Janeiro almost by chance when I went to Cidade de Deus, a low-income housing estate project built in the 1960s for those forcibly evicted from the shantytowns. My intention in 1980 was to study voluntary associations, which were typical of the long existing shantytowns, to see what had changed for the dwellers reinstalled in the new housing project. One major change I found was a new kind of organization of which there had been no record in the literature on poverty prior to 1980: drug dealing gangs engaged in incipient turf wars. Since then, I have not been able to stop studying the subject and willy-nilly became an "expert" on it. I undertook two major ethnographic research projects in Cidade de Deus; one by myself and the second with four research assistants, three of them male and one female. All were university students who had grown up and continued to live in Cidade de Deus. The first study focused on the meanings of poverty, neighbourhood associations and local politics; the second focused on youth involved with the gangs or were about to join them. Later in the 1990s, with a different team, we investigated styles of drug dealing and consumption in three other districts of the city. Three years ago, a series of interviews and focus groups with former dealers allowed us to deepen our knowledge of the dynamics of the unlawful trade as well as the ideas and mixed feelings of the main actors. All these studies were based on participant observation and interviewing techniques. Details: Vibrant (Florianopolis), v. 7: 7-27, 2010. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2017 at: http://www.vibrant.org.br/downloads/v7n2_zaluar.p Year: 2010 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 147599 |
Author: Zaluar, Alba Title: The Paradoxes of Democratization and Violence in Brazil Summary: My studies of urban violence in Brazil showed two paradoxes and one enigma that have developed in this country during the last decades. The paradox of a process of democratisation that started in 1984 coming forward with increasing criminality rates, especially homicide, which increased three times in Rio de Janeiro during the 1980s, decreasing and stabilizing in the 1990s, and tripled in Sao Paulo from 1980 to 1995. The paradox of a nation constituted on the idea of cordiality and conciliation that changed recently its dominant ideas, criticized systematically as they were by Brazilian intellectuals. Finally, the enigma of a fierce violence among men, mainly young men (perpetrators and victims of murder at the same time), and has affected women comparatively much less. Young men commit homicides over other young men in 92% of the homicide cases for the past twenty years. This suggests a model of violence dissimilar to the model present in ethnic conflicts where women are object of rape. To understand them, I have used three dimensions: the institutional inertia that explains persisting civil rights violations and the malfunctioning of the justice system; the importance and limits of macro social explanations for violent criminality, such as poverty and social exclusion; the necessary look at micro social processes concerning changes of power at neighbourhood level and the situation of young poor men in drug trafficking. This implies taking subjective formations as well as long institutional and social processes as a way of understanding institutional violence against the poor, as well as social violence between poor youths in a state and a society not entirely ruled by law. Since in countries like Brazil there have always been a gap between formal civil rights and real ones, one must focus not only the letter of law but mainly social processes not controlled by it, such as inexplicit informal rules or social practices ingrained in the actors' actions, including and mainly policemen daily practices. Details: Presented at a conference, 2004. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2017 at: http://www.brasiluniaoeuropeia.ufrj.br/en/pdfs/the_paradoxes_of_democratization_and_violence_in_brazil.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Brazil Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 147600 |
Author: Zaluar, Alba Title: Crimes and Violence Trends in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summary: The City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's former capital between 1688 and 1960, exhibited an amazing increase in crime rates from 1980 onwards, despite decreases in population growth of 2% in 1980 and 0.4% in 2000. While there were some improvements in urban infrastructure in some of the poorest regions of the city - the shantytowns - these continue to enlarge, at a rate of 2.4% in 2000. Then the city had 5.857.904 inhabitants, of which 1.094.922 lived in subnormal urban agglomerations, an official definition for the popular term "favelas", that is, shantytowns where a heterogeneous, but mainly poor people live. This scenario is common to the biggest Brazilian cities, as an effect of accelerated and disordered urbanization that started in the early years of the Twentieth Century, urbanization without industrialization or sufficient economic development to provide employment for the migrants. Vulnerability, especially for young men who have the highest unemployment rates, is unquestionable, even more so inside "favelas". Yet, the growth of the informal work sector and irregular dwellings, lasting phenomena in Brazil, cannot account for the amazing growth of homicides that occurred during the 1980's and 1990's. Indeed, new forms of organized crime or criminal business affected informal markets, transforming them into gateways for selling stolen, smuggled or counterfeit goods, but also for trafficking illegal drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana. These new markets produced a strong effect on deaths by aggression in so far as the illegality and the dangers involved in the businesses made the use of guns inevitable. During the 1980's, trafficking gangs started to dominate some favelas of the city as armed traffickers became more than owners of the selling place, but were called "owners of the favela". As armed mobs appeared, death squads or militias were formed in some other poor areas of the Metropolitan Region in order to eliminate those identified as bandits. As a result, homicide rates grew astonishingly for young men between 14 and 29 years old. How do we explain why young men are being killed or killing each other in Brazil's second largest and richest city? Can poverty and inequality wholly explain this phenomenon? Details: Case study prepared for Enhancing Urban Safety and Security: Global Report on Human Settlements 2007/ 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2017 at: https://unhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/GRHS.2007.CaseStudy.Crime_.RiodeJaneiro.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 147601 |
Author: Pol, Janneke Title: Coping with Violence in Brazil: Violence, Fear and 'The Other' in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Rio de Janeiro forms an emblematic case of endemic urban violence. Gangs of drugs traffickers, police forces, death squads, militias, vigilante groups, private security organizations and some individual citizens, mark the cities violent fabric. The widespread violence, and the fear and insecurity it generates, shape the daily lives of the citizens. Rio de Janeiro, also known as 'divided city', is furthermore characterized by high levels of inequality and social exclusion. Different social groups are therefore related to armed actors in a different way and have different recourses to protect themselves against them. This study analyses how people perceive and deal with urban violence, within the context of the mutual relationship between the neighboring residents of a favela and a middle class neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. Further, the question whether the residents interact or deal with each other in order to cope with violence, is explored. Based on ethnographic fieldwork I argue how perceptions about violence and insecurity, and strategies to deal with it, are structured by the way the residents of these neighborhoods relate to each other. I therefore build upon notions about urban violence, fear and insecurity, Othering and coping strategies. Details: Utrecht, NETH: University Utrecht, 2009. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed October 19, 2017 at: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/40518 Year: 2009 Country: Brazil Keywords: Favelas Shelf Number: 147728 |
Author: Berge, Sandra van den Title: "It could be anyone, but...": Othering in a context of crime, fear and segregation in Sao Paulo. Summary: The middle and upper classes in Sao Paulo have developed an array of strategies to cope with their fear of becoming a victim of crime and violence, the most radical being the increasing withdrawal from public space behind physical and guarded barriers. Although several forms of socio-spatial segregation exist, the most radical one perhaps is residential segregation, in the form of gated communities. However, the fear people feel may be disproportionate to the reality of crime and violence in contemporary Sao Paulo. The discourse of fear, which the enormous rise in violent crime in the 1980s and 1990s has given rise to, has been strongly influenced by the media, but has also influenced the image people have of what they perceive as the dangerous Other. Nevertheless, although rates of violence have dropped sharply in Sao Paulo since the turn of the century, perceived levels of danger continue high. This thesis argues that the image of the dangerous Other is not only about fear caused by contemporary levels of crime or violence, and has also been influenced by stereotyped ideas about the Other that stem from before the rise in violent crime. Lacking nuanced information due to limited social interaction contributes to the persistence of stereotyped images, contributing to a fear of the Other. Details: Utrecht: Universiteit Utrecht, 2013. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed November 3, 2017 at: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/262978 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Prevention Shelf Number: 147983 |
Author: Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania ITTC Title: Pre-trial Prisoners Research and juridical intervention report conducted in two Sao Paulo prisons units between 2010-2011 Summary: The problem - One in every three Brazilian prisoners waits in prison for his/her trial, according to the National Penitentiary Department. In 2011 and 2012, the percentage of pre-trial prisoners increased more than the total prison population in Brazil, a population considered the fourth largest in the world. Objectives of the Project The Weaving Justice Project worked in two distinct areas. Firstly, it attempted to guarantee the prisoner immediate access to legal defense, to give orientation to the family, and to help the accused better understand and accompany his/her trial in order to more effectively exercise the constitutional right to defense. Secondly, it sought to show a profile of the people who are imprisoned, to identify the circumstances of their imprisonment, and to evaluate how their situations would have been different if public defenders were present at the moment of their entrance into the prison system. Details: Sao Paulo, Brazil: The Institute, 2013. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2017 at: http://ittc.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ITTC_digital-ingles-final-1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Pretrial Detention Shelf Number: 148161 |
Author: Darke, Sacha Title: Managing without Guards in a Brazilian Police Lockup Summary: Brazilian prisons are typically crowded and poorly resourced, yet at the same time may be active places. Of particular interest to the sociology of prisons is institutional reliance on inmate collaboration and self-ordering, not only to maintain prison routines, but in the most lowly-staffed prisons security and prisoner conduct as well. This article explores the roles played by inmates in running one such penal institution, a men's police lockup in Rio de Janeiro. At the time of research the lockup had over 450 prisoners, but just five officers. Both on and off the wings inmates performed janitorial, clerical and guard-like duties, mostly under the supervision not of officers but other prisoners. The lockup appeared to be operating under a relatively stable, if de facto and provisional order, premised in common needs and shared beliefs, and maintained by a hierarchy of prisoner as well as officer authority. Details: London: University of Westminster, School of Law, 2014. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: U. of Westminster School of Law Research Paper No. 13-10: Accessed November 17, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2368781 Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Prison Guards Shelf Number: 148216 |
Author: Taylor, A.Y. Title: This isn't the life for you: Masculinities and nonviolence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Results from the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) with a focus on urban violence Summary: Homicide and other forms of violence persist at high levels in Rio de Janeiro. This violence overwhelmingly affects low-income, young black men. Past research has rarely examined the relationship of this violence to gender norms nor has it focused on the interplay between urban violence and family and intimate partner violence (IPV). While most studies focus on pathways into violence, only a few studies examine at factors that encourage nonviolence. In favelas3 and other low-income, marginalized neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, boys are exposed from an early age to multiple forms of violence in the household and in their communities. At critical points in life, boys and young men who lack attractive economic opportunities are invited to participate in drug trafficking and, oftentimes, encouraged to use arms or use violence in everyday life. Amidst high levels of urban violence, how do many men adopt and sustain nonviolence in their lives? This research led by Promundo seeks to address two key questions: 1. What factors support groups of men who are surrounded by social and economic inequality, high exposure to violence, and incentives to use violence (e.g., members of drug gangs and the police) in avoiding, abandoning, or lessening their use of violence in complex urban settings? 2. How does higher and lower exposure to urban violence (defined by homicide rates) influence construction of masculinities, experiences of violence during childhood, attitudes and self-reported behaviors about gender among the broader population? Promundo examines these questions in "IMAGES-Urban Violence", a study that adapts IMAGES, the International Men and Gender Equality Survey, to focus on gender and urban violence and the interactions between violence in the public and private spheres in Rio de Janeiro. IMAGES is a comprehensive, multi-country study on men's practices and attitudes toward gender norms, gender equality policies, household dynamics, caregiving and involvement as fathers, intimate partner violence, sexual diversity, and health and economic stress. Promundo's offices in Brazil and the United States coordinated the study, which was part of Safe and Inclusive Cities (SAIC), an initiative of Canada's International Development Research Centre and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. IMAGES STUDY ON URBAN VIOLENCE IN RIO DE JANEIRO - 1,151 household surveys were conducted with adult men and women in two sites: "South," in the city's southern zone where homicide rates are lower, and "North," predominately in the city's northern zone where homicide rates are high. The sample was drawn using public security administrative areas. - 14 key informant interviews and 45 in-depth life history interviews were carried out. The in-depth interviews sought to capture factors that promote men's trajectories away from the use of violence in complex urban settings. Former drug traffickers, members of the police force, and local activists were invited to participate because these groups of men play crucial roles in using and experiencing of violence and nonviolence in the city. Female partners and family members were also interviewed. Details: Washington, DC and . Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Promundo, 2016. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 18, 2017 at: https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/56228/IDL-56228.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Family Violence Shelf Number: 148263 |
Author: Cerqueira, Daniel R.C. Title: Atlas da Violencia: 2017 Summary: Prepared by IPEA (A research and statistical institution related to the Federal Government), in partnership with the Brazilian Forum for Public Security, the study analyzed data available from the Ministry of Health up to 2015. In that year, there were 59 thousand homicides in Brazil, a rate of 28,9 per 100 thousand inhabitants. The typical profile of the victims: male, young, black, with low levels of education. According to the report, the rate of growth in homicides involving youth had been falling - from 20,3% in the decade of the 90's to 2,5% in the first decade of the 21st century. Between 2005 and 2015, however, there was an increase of 17,2% in the rate among individuals between 15 and 29 years of age - climbing to 60,9 deaths per 100 thousand youths. Violence also increased among blacks between 2005 and 2015. While the death by homicide rate for blacks increased by 18,2%, the death rate for non-black individuals decreased by 12,2%. Details: Rio de Janeiro: ipea, 2017. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2017 at: http://ipea.gov.br/portal/images/170609_atlas_da_violencia_2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics Shelf Number: 148727 |
Author: Cavalcanti, Roxana Pessoa Title: "Over, under and through the walls": the dynamics of public security, police-community relations and the limits of managerialism in crime control in Recife, Brazil Summary: This dissertation contributes to Brazilian public security studies from the perspective of critical criminology. It examines public experiences of insecurity and the social impacts of security programmes that aim to address violence in one Brazilian city: Recife. Between 1982 and 2007, Recife had one of the highest homicide rates in Brazil. Between 2008 and 2012, homicide rates declined in Recife in tandem with the implementation of a public security intervention entitled Pacto pela Vida or Pact for Life (PPV). However, few studies have examined this programme, the relations between urban marginalised communities and the public security system in Recife, or how the daily experiences of the urban poor in Recife are affected by violence and public security provision. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature drawing on ethnographic methods to examine existing interactions between residents of low-income communities and institutions of the public security system, especially the police and the prison. The research is based on data gathered through interviews, observations, focus groups and secondary sources, such as official data about levels of incarceration and homicide. It poses questions about the social effects of existing security policies, arguing that the emulation of mainstream criminological theories of crime control from the Global North produces large-scale perverse effects in the context of countries of the Global South. The findings are based on interviews with the police and data gathered in two low-income communities, one of which is located around a large prison. The data show that managerial police reforms and security programmes have not addressed long-standing issues of sexism, racism, classism and brutalising training in the police force. Moreover, through the increasing use of policing and hyper-incarceration as methods of crime control, security programmes have failed to inhibit diverse forms of violent and organised crime and exacerbated existing inequalities affecting the most marginalised populations. Details: London: King's College London, 2017. 276p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 17, 2018 at: http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/18353/ Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Inequality Shelf Number: 118847 |
Author: Waiselfisz, Julio Jacobo Title: Homicides of children and adolescents in Brazil Summary: Brazil is the world's most homicidal country in absolute terms. It also exhibits some of the most prolific lethal violence against children and adolescents. The following assessment demonstrates an exponential increase in the total number and prevalence rate of child and youth homicides between 1980 and 2014 0 476.4% and 485%, respectively. Such violence is not evenly distributed. Several northeastern states exhibit the highest rates of intentional homicide in Brazil, with the most common victims consisting of 16- and 17-year old black males. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Igarape Institute, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Homicide Dispatch 4: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2017-12-04-Homicide-Dispatch_4_EN.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Child Murders Shelf Number: 148968 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "One Day I"ll Kill You": Impunity in Domestic Violence Cases in the Brazilian State of Roraima Summary: Roraima is the deadliest state for women and girls in Brazil. Killings of women reached 11.4 homicides per100,000 women in 2015, more than double the national average. Studies in Brazil and worldwide estimate a large percentage of women are killed by partners or former partners. "One Day I'll Kill You" draws on documentation of 31 cases of domestic violence in Roraima and on interviews with victims, police, and justice officials. Women in Roraima often suffer abuse for years before they report it to the police. When they do, the government's response is grossly inadequate. Military police do not respond to all emergency calls from women who say are experiencing domestic violence. Some civil police officers refuse to register domestic violence complaints or request protection orders. Instead, they directvictims to the single "women's police station" in the state-which specializes in crimes against women- even at times when that station is closed. No police station in the state has private rooms to take victims' statements, and not a single civil police officer receives training on how to handle domestic violence cases. In Boa Vista, the state capital, police have failed to do investigative work on a backlog of 8,400 domestic violence complaints. Most cases languish for years until they are eventually closed because the statute of limitations on the crime expires-without any prosecution. The serious problems in Roraima reflect nationwide failures. Authorities need to reduce barriers for women to access the police and ensure that domestic violence cases are properly documented, investigated, and prosecuted. Details: New York: HRW, 2017. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/brazil0617_web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Domestic Violence Shelf Number: 149843 |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Youth, Security and Peace: Brazil Revisited Summary: Brazil is not facing so much a conventional "armed conflict" as a systemic crisis of public security. Its high levels of insecurity are not due to a single cause but rather a combination of individual, household and societal factors; concentrated disadvantage and fragmented families together with limited access to quality education, employment and other opportunities all play a role. Yet there are also remarkable efforts underway to prevent and reduce violence at national, state and municipal levels. Brazil features a rich, if understudied, ecosystem of interventions to promote youth safety and security that offer lessons to the world. The following report is designed to offer insights for the Youth, Peace and Security review. It considers first the scope and scale of youth violence. It then turns to the key perpetrators. Next, it explores the underlying risks giving rise to youth insecurity. The report closes with a review of national, state, city and civil society animated measures to prevent and reduce violence. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2018. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Youth-Security-and-Peace-Brazil-Revisited-Robert-Muggah.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: At-risk Youth Shelf Number: 150024 |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Mano Dura: the costs and benefits of repressive criminal justice for young people in Latin America Summary: The focus of this report is on the intended and unintended consequences of mano dura in Latin America, particularly as they relate to youth. The assessment draws on available evidence that, albeit patchy, offers a state of the art overview of the real costs and benefits of repressive approaches to public security and criminal justice provision. A parallel goal of the report is to also highlight the positive contribution of young people to promoting safety and security in their neighborhoods, communities, cities and countries. It considers the definition of mano dura, explores discrete categories of mano dura intervention, and also examines the costs and benefits of prevention, underlining the cost and benefits for every dollar invested. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Mano-Dura-The-costs-and-benefits-of-repressive-criminal-justice-for-young-people-in-Latin-America.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: At-Risk Youth Shelf Number: 150025 |
Author: Salcedo-Albaran, Eduardo Title: The Lava Jato Network: Corruption and Money Laundering in Brazil Summary: The "Lava Jato" Operation is an on-going Federal Police investigation executed for dismantling corruption and money laundering schemes that involved Petrobras, the Brazilian State-managed oil company, Electrobras, the Brazilian state-managed nuclear company, among other Brazilian public institutions. From 2014 to mid-2017, this operation has developed 41 phases of investigation involving various public and private companies, politicians, businesspersons, doleiros, and drug traffickers, among other types of agents. Since the initial complaint filed by Hermes Freitas Magnus, who owned the Brazilian company "Dunel", along with Maria Teodora Silva, a series of investigations began, which allowed identifying four large criminal groups led by the currency exchange operators Carlos Habib Chater, Alberto Youssef, Nelma Mitsue Penasso Kodama and Raul Henrique Srour. As a result of these investigations, Brazilian officials discovered that those four criminal organizations operated together between 2005 and 2014 to launder money through alliances between companies and to obtain contracts with Petrobras through bribe payments to public officers of the company, and politicians with the power of keeping the officials on their positions. The evidence gathered and analyzed for this report revealed a major scheme of corruption and money laundering in Brazil, involving more than 220 Brazilian and foreign companies, 170 business persons, and 100 public servants. Considering the institutional impact of the criminal scheme installed initially at Petrobras, and how it engaged on corruption across Latin America and money laundering across the Western Hemisphere and beyond, this document is the centralized analysis of this complex criminal structure, according to the sources listed below. This document has five sections. The first part is this introduction; the second is a description of the methodology and the concepts related to Social Network Analysis and additional protocols of analysis, which is the methodological approach herein applied; the third is a brief presentation of the criminal structure referenced here as "Petrobras Criminal Network", as well as the sources gathered and processed to model the structure; the fourth is an analysis of the characteristics of the criminal structure, which includes a description of the types of nodes/agents, the types of interactions established, and the nodes/agents concentrating direct interactions and the capacity to arbitrate resources across the network; and the fifth part includes conclusions related to the characteristics of the analyzed network. Details: Bogota, Colombia/Sao Paulo, Brazil: Humanitas360 and Vortex Foundation 2018. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: The Global Observatory of Transnational Criminal Networks - Working Paper No. 29. VORTEX Working Paper No. 43; Accessed May 11, 2018 at: http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/522e46_fcb25fe62d8f4776982f1fc39200e1f2.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bribery Shelf Number: 150158 |
Author: Freire, Danilo Alves Mendes Title: Evaluating the Effect of Homicide Prevention Strategies in Sao Paulo, Brazil: A Synthetic Control Approach Summary: Although Brazil remains severely affected by civil violence, the state of Sao Paulo has made significant inroads into fighting criminality. In the last decade, Sao Paulo has witnessed a 70% decline in homicide rates, a result that policy-makers attribute to a series of crime-reducing measures implemented by the state government. While recent academic studies seem to confirm this downward trend, no estimation of the total impact of state policies on homicide rates currently exists. The present article fills this gap by employing the Synthetic Control Method to compare these measures against an artificial Sao Paulo. The results indicate a large drop in homicide rates in actual Sao Paulo when contrasted with the synthetic counterfactual, with about 20,000 lives saved during the period. The theoretical usefulness of the Synthetic Control Method for public policy analysis, the role of the Primeiro Comando da Capital as a causal mediator, and the practical implications of the security measures taken by the Sao Paulo state government are also discussed. Details: Unpublished paper, 2016. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/8tmhe/ Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Homicides Shelf Number: 150424 |
Author: Freire, Danilo Alves Mendes Title: Beasts of Prey or Rational Animals? Private Governance in Brazil's Jogo do Bicho Summary: This work presents a rational choice account for the jogo do bicho ('animal game'), possibly the largest illegal lottery game in the world. Over 120 years, the jogo do bicho has grown into a multimillion-dollar business and exerted a significant impact on the Brazilian society. The lottery has been a major sponsor of the Carnival Parade in Rio de Janeiro, which is among the world's most famous popular festivals, and it has remained an important driver of state corruption in the country. This work investigates the institutions that have caused the jogo do bicho's notable growth and long-term survival outside the boundaries of the Brazilian law. It also explains the emergence of the informal rules that govern the game as well as their enforcement mechanisms. Details: Unpublished paper, 2017. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/se2jr/ Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Networks Shelf Number: 150425 |
Author: Wolff, Michael Jerome Title: Community Policing the Brazilian Favela Summary: The adoption of ambitious Community Policing initiatives in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador over the last decade inspired hope among many police reformers that a new, more democratic paradigm of state-society relations might finally emerge in Brazil. Such was the allure of Community Policing (CP), a citizen-oriented policing philosophy that had been embraced in much of the Global North more than a decade earlier, and was now becoming entrenched in Latin America. As the form of Community Policing was modified to fit the sociopolitical context of the Brazilian slum, however, it took on characteristics more similar to counterinsurgency and peace keeping. As in peace keeping, the new initiatives led to immediate and dramatic reduction in lethal violence by deterring armed confrontation between rival gangs and between gangs and the police. Like counterinsurgency, however, their heavy-handed tactics are the source of deep tensions between the police and community members. Consequently, both its positive impact and its limitations have been far more pronounced than CP programs elsewhere. Ultimately, CP in Brazil suffers from an even greater flaw. Unable to replace the authority of locally embedded drug gangs, the police have largely resorted to sharing authority with them as a condition of keeping the peace. Details: s.l.: NORIA, 2018. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 15, 2018 at: http://www.noria-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NORIA__publi_11_juin_2018_EN.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Community Policing Shelf Number: 150556 |
Author: Lorenzon, Geanluca Title: Corruption and the Rule of Law: How Brazil Strengthened Its legal System Summary: Brazil is in the midst of one of the biggest corruption scandals in history. In the last three years, hundreds of business people and politicians - including former president Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva - have been investigated and prosecuted for taking part in a massive bribery scheme involving state-owned companies. Although graft and influence peddling are not a new phenomenon in Brazil, bringing powerful individuals to justice certainly is. Several reforms explain this transition to a more robust legal system. These include the introduction of plea bargaining in organized crime investigations; the creation of two public institutions to oversee the judiciary and the Public Ministry (the country's top prosecutorial body), respectively; a competitive selection process based on merit for prosecutors and judges; and greater autonomy for the Federal Public Ministry and the Federal Police. A merit-based selection system for judicial appointments introduced in the 1988 constitution and greater access to public office by individuals with no previous political connections have also played a significant role in strengthening the country's judicial institutions. Brazil's judiciary still has palpable problems, particularly its excessive cost and a bloated workload. In addition, judges enjoy certain prerogatives that are frequently abused. However, despite these shortcomings, the effectiveness of the judicial system has improved enormously since the 1990s, especially in fighting corruption. Brazil's recent experience holds lessons for other countries, especially in Latin America, where corruption, abuse of power, and impunity have been endemic features of public life. Details: Washington, DC: Cat0 Institute, 2018. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis, No. 827: https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/corruption-rule-law-how-brazil-strengthened-its-legal-system Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bribes Shelf Number: 150559 |
Author: Greenpeace Brazil Title: Imaginary Trees, Real Destruction: How Licensing Fraud and Illegal Logging of IPE Trees are Causing Irreversible Damage to the Amazon Rainforest Summary: Brazil started to monitor deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest in 1988. Despite massive forest degradation and destruction over the last 30 years, the country has failed to find a viable solution to the crisis of illegal logging. Production of illegally harvested timber remains high, reflecting the unreliability of the country's forestry licensing and control systems. While in recent years Brazil's environmental agencies have strengthened the enforcement of forest preservation policy, lately this process appears to have stalled. Since 2014, when Greenpeace Brazil launched a series of investigations1 into illegal logging in the Brazilian Amazon, the organisation has been highlighting the inadequacy of official documentation as a guarantee of the legal origin of Amazon timber. Due to various forms of fraud that are common at the licensing, harvesting and commercialisation stages of timber production, it is almost impossible to distinguish between legally and illegally logged timber. The main timber-producing states in the Brazilian Amazon - Mato Grosso and Para - operate decentralised and non-integrated forestry licensing and control systems. These systems' lack of integration makes it harder to tackle fraud. At the same time, the market has proved reluctant to adopt its own measures to mitigate the risk of its supply chain becoming contaminated with illegal Brazilian timber. A critical flaw in the Amazon states' forestry governance lies in the weakness of the licensing process for Sustainable Forest Management Plans (Planos de Manejo Florestal Sustentavel, PMFSs) - one of the first steps in the process of legal timber harvesting. For the most part, no field inspections are conducted before PMFSs are drawn up. When they are carried out, quality of inspection tends to be very low (as described in chapter 2). This allows the forest engineers responsible for estimating the volume of wood available for cutting within a given Forest Management Area (Area de Manejo Florestal, AMF)4 to overestimate volumes or fraudulently add trees of high commercial value to the area's forest inventory. State environment departments subsequently issue credits for the harvesting and movement of this non-existent timber. These credits are then used to "cook the books" of sawmills that are processing trees illegally logged from forests on indigenous lands, protected areas or public lands. An unpublished study carried out by researchers from the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture at the University of Sao Paulo (Esalq/USP)5 looked at the density, in cubic metres per hectare, of Ipe genus Handroanthus spp. (formerly known as Tabebuia spp.) reported in the inventories of 586 forest areas subject to PMFSs that were licensed in the state of Para between 2013 and 2017. The study showed that 77% of these inventories registered volumes of Ipe above levels that earlier research6 and inventories taken in five national forests in Para had identified as probably being the naturally occurring maximum. Building on this work, the Greenpeace Brazil team have carried out analysis of all the valid Logging Authorisations (Autorizacoes para Exploraao Florestal, AUTEFs) from 2016 to 2019 for Annual Production Units (Unidades de Producao Anual, UPAs) 8 that contained species of Ipe, authorised by the Department of the Environment of Para state (Secretaria Estadual de Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade, Semas) (as described in chapter 2). For a more detailed evaluation, Greenpeace Brazil went on field trips with researchers from USP and technicians from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis, Ibama) to verify the identity of remaining trees and tree stumps listed as Ipe in the forest inventories of six AMFs (as described in chapter 3). This fieldwork verified that incorrect botanical identification, the deliberate overestimation of tree volume, and the listing of non-existent trees were among the main strategies used to illegally extract timber both from within the six AMFs and from other areas. The present report provides evidence that a weak licensing regime and indiscriminate and illegal logging of Ipe are causing damage to the forest and its inhabitants. Some of the effects of this environmental crime are already visible, including deeper encroachment of illegal roads and growing degradation of the forest, the destruction of biodiversity and an intensification of violence in the countryside. The main Brazilian timber-producing states urgently need a forest governance and enforcement system capable of ensuring that all timber logged in the Brazilian Amazon is extracted legally and with full regard to the rights of its Indigenous Peoples and other traditional inhabitants. Details: Sao Paulo/SP, Brasil: Greenpeace Brazil, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 20, 2018 at: https://storage.googleapis.com/p4-production-content/international/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/b91d03c3-greenpeace-report_imaginary-trees-real-destruction_march-2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 150606 |
Author: Cerqueira, Daniel R.C. Title: Atlas da violencia: 2018 Summary: In this Atlas of Violence 2018, produced by Ipea and the Brazilian Forum of Public Security (FBSP), we constructed and analyzed numerous indicators to better understand the process of marked violence in the country. Death numbers are counted from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) as events involving assaults and deaths caused by legal intervention (codes X85-Y09 and Y35-Y36). The International Classification of Diseases is published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has standardized the codification of diseases and mortality from external causes worldwide since 1893. The data released refer to the period from 2006 to 2016, considering the most recently published by the Information System on Mortality (SIM) and published on the website of the Department of Informatics of SUS - DATASUS. The second report is the "Atlas of Violence 2018: public policies and portraits of Brazilian municipalities". A mapping of violent deaths in Brazilian municipalities with a population of more than 100 thousand residents. Seven key elements generally found in experiences that have succeeded in reducing violent crime in a relatively short period of time are discussed. To illustrate the interaction between human development and violent deaths, we present selected socioeconomic indicators in order to compose a photograph for each of the 309 municipalities listed. Details: Rio de Janeiro: ipea, 2018. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 20, 2018 at: http://www.ipea.gov.br/atlasviolencia/arquivos/downloads/7457-2852-180604atlasdaviolencia2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics Shelf Number: 150608 |
Author: Brazil. Secretary General Title: Custos Economicos da Criminalidade No Brasil Summary: - Brazil is among the top 10% of countries with the highest homicide rates in the world - despite having a population equivalent to 3% of the world population, the country accounts for about 14% of all homicides in the world. Brazilian homicide rates are similar to those in Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, South Africa and Democratic Republic of the Congo. - There have been three distinct times in the number of homicides in Brazil in the last 20 years. In the first period, from 1996 to 2003, there was an increase, from 35 thousand to 48 thousand homicides per year. In the subsequent period, between 2003 and 2007, there was a 48 thousand to 44 thousand victims a year. Finally, as of 2008, there was a further increase in the number of victims, although at a slower pace than before 2003, reaching 54 thousand in 2015. - Homicide rates are highly heterogeneous in the country. Some microregions, especially that of Sao Paulo, which has the largest population, has homicide rates close to 10 per 100 thousand inhabitants. On the other hand, some North-Northeast, such as Belem, Salvador, Fortaleza and Sao Luis, as well as the micro-region of the Surroundings of the Federal District, have homicide rates above 50 per 100 thousand inhabitants, which would place them at levels of some of the world's most violent countries, such as Jamaica, Venezuela and Honduras. - The evolution in homicide rates in the last decade was also significantly with a declining trend in homicide rates in the Southeast and increase in the North-Northeast. - It is estimated that, for each homicide of 13- to 25-year-olds, the present value of loss of productive capacity is about 550 thousand reais. The cumulative loss of productive capacity resulting from homicides, between 1996 and 2015, surpassed 450 billion reais. - The economic costs of crime increased substantially between 1996 and 2015, from about 113 billion reais to 285 billion reais. This is equivalent to an average real increase of about 4.5% per year. By 2015, the components, in order of relevance were: public security (1.35% of GDP); private security (from Google Translations) Details: Brasilia: Secretary General, 2018. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: RELATORIO DE CONJUNTURA No. 4: Accessed June 27, 2018 at: http://www.secretariageral.gov.br/estrutura/secretaria_de_assuntos_estrategicos/publicacoes-e-analise/relatorios-de-conjuntura/custos_economicos_criminalidade_brasil.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Costs of Crime Shelf Number: 150714 |
Author: Waiselfisz, Julio Jacobo Title: Juventude: Homicidios e juventude no Brasil. Mapa da Violencia 2013 Summary: We are returning to the theme of youth. This return is not new. We already did it in many perspectives and multiple cuts. It was so with the series of four studies grouped generically under the title Youth, Violence and Citizenship, held in the late 1990s by Unesco, focusing on the specific situation of young people from field surveys in four large capital cities: Brasilia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza. It was also when we decided to build a Youth Development Index, following the paths of the Human Development, to express the conditions and difficulties of our youth to access basic social benefits such as education, health, work and income. In this field, two reports were released, one in 2004 and another in 2006. In this long series, we should also mention two papers written with focus on the Disarmament Statute and Campaign - 2003/2004: the first, Deaths Killed by Firearms; and a later, Lives Spared. Finally, the already long series of Maps of Violence. Since 1998 - the year it came to light the first one, with data that covered 1979/1996 until the present one - were in total 21 maps, including four supplementary notebooks. They all had, either as an actor principal, or as a privileged partner, our youth. In the first of this series of maps we highlighted: "The reality of the data exposed brings out yet another of our forgetfulness. Young people only appear in the conscience and in the public scene when the journalistic chronicle removes them from oblivion to show us a delinquent, or offender, or criminal; your involvement with the trafficking in drugs and weapons, organized cheerleading fights or at the periphery balls. From oblivion and omission, it is easily passed on to condemnation, and hence only a small step towards repression and punishment." Today, 15 years ago the first and many maps later arises, almost out of necessity, a seemingly simple question: do we move forward? Improved the outlook of the lethal violence that led us to elaborate this first map, and that we at that time with a mixture of alarm, indignation and concern? Let's see: - The homicide rate of the total population, which in 1996 - the latest data from this first map - it was 24.8 per 100 thousand inhabitants, it grew to 27.1 in 2011. - The juvenile homicide rate, which was 42.4 per 100,000 youths, was 53.4. - The total death rate in transport accidents, which in 1996 was 22.6 per cent per 100 thousand inhabitants, grew to 23.2. Young people, from 24.7 to 27.7. - Suicides also increased from 4.3 to 5.1 in the total population and, among young people, from 4.9 to 5.1. (Google Translation) Details: Brasilia: Secretaria-Geral da Presidencia da Republica, 2013. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 12, 2018 at: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2013/mapa2013_homicidios_juventude.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Statistics Shelf Number: 150844 |
Author: Cardoso, Vicente Title: Police and Crime: Further Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment Summary: The paper investigates the effect of police presence on homicides at the municipality level in Brazil during the January 2010 to December 2014 period. For this purpose, occasional and illegal police strikes are considered as relevant shocks in a quasi-natural experiment. After controlling for different variables that explain heterogeneity across municipalities, it is possible to identify a sizeable effect accruing from police strikes on the occurrence of homicides. Despite a conservative analysis that involves temporal and spatial aggregation of variables, the evidence indicates that police strikes lead, on average, to a 16% increase in the homicide rate if one considers a broader sample of 3597 municipalities. The focus of the analysis for a large and heterogeneous country also partially may mitigate concerns for external validity that had been raised in the context of previous studies in the related literature. Details: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute), 2018. Source: Internet Resource: CESifo Working Paper Series No. 7064: Accessed August 16, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3211154 Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Homicides Shelf Number: 151155 |
Author: Brazilian Forum on Public Security Title: Public safety agenda is a solution (SEGURANCA PUBLICA E SOLUCAO) Summary: Violence and insecurity are among the major concerns of Brazilian society today. The scenario is severe: in 2016 reached the 61,000 mark unacceptable intentional violent deaths in the country, highlighting the inefficiency of measures proposed by successive governments and several presidential candidates. Meanwhile, penal establishments - where more than 700,000 prisoners are detained and around 350,000 are missing - do not create conditions to reduce criminal recidivism. On the contrary, the main Brazilian criminal organizations were born and strengthened within the prisons, where they recruit new members. And crime costs went from 113 billion reais to 285 billion reais between 1996 and 2015, equivalent to 4.38% of national income. In this sense, three of the main organizations working with public safety in Brazil, the Brazilian Forum on Public Security and Institutes Sou da Paz and Igarape , formulated this AGENDA PUBLIC SAFETY IS SOLUTION containing concrete proposals to assist the federal government in this crucial assignment . The proposals to address the problems identified fall into seven programmatic axes: 1. Efficient system for managing public security; 2. State coercive and regulatory structures to deal with organized crime; 3. Effectiveness and efficiency of police work; 4. Restructuring of the prison system; 5. Violence prevention programs; 6. Reorientation of drug policy; 7. Regulation and control of firearms. The actions listed are based on evidence on policies that have measurable positive impacts on public security in Brazil and ensure a commitment to democratic values. In addition to the three organizations, the material was reviewed by a Critical Reading Panel composed of eight public security experts, police officers and managers. Details: Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro: Igarape, 2018. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Agenda-Seguranc%CC%A7a-pu%CC%81blica-e%CC%81-soluc%CC%A7a%CC%83o-completa.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Criminal Justice Reform Shelf Number: 151651 |
Author: Lemgruber, Julita Title: Olho por Olho? O que pensam os cariocas sobre "bandido bom e bandido morto". OLHO BY OLHO? OR THAT THOUGHTS CARIOCAS ABOUT "BANDIDO BOM BANDIDO MORTO" Summary: Some national investigations have investigated the degree of concordance of the population with cliches of the type "good bandit is dead bandit" and "human rights only for human rights". The CESeC survey, in a sample of 2,353 inhabitants of the city of Rio de Janeiro aged 16 and over, tried to capture, additionally, profiles, ideas, perceptions and values related to the ideology of justice and the rejection of human rights in the area of criminal justice. Combining sample research and open interviews with specialists, the work seeks to deepen the knowledge of the subject and subsidize actions and campaigns that open possibilities for awareness and change. Details: Rio de Janeiro: CESeC, 2017. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9, 2018 at: https://www.ucamcesec.com.br/livro/olho-por-olho-o-que-pensam-os-cariocas-sobre-bandido-bom-e-bandido-morto/ (In Portuguese) Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Bandits Shelf Number: 152861 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Good Cops Are Afraid": The Toll of Unchecked Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Since the release of Lethal Force in 2009, Rio de Janeiro has pursued several ambitious and innovative policies aimed at improving the effectiveness and professionalism of its police. These include the UPP program discussed in chapter 4, as well as the System of Goals and Results Tracking (Sistema de Metas e Acompanhamento de Resultados), a program that entails compiling and monitoring crime statistics, setting crime reduction targets for each policing district (Area Integrada de Seguranca Publica, AISP), and providing monetary rewards in the form of bonuses to all police officers in areas that meet those targets. These initiatives may have significantly contributed to the decrease in police killings- along with overall homicides-between 2009 and 2013.247 However, their impact has been severely undercut by the state's failure to address one of the main factors responsible for perpetuating the unlawful use of lethal force by police: impunity. The decrease in police killings came to a halt in 2013, and the numbers have since begun to climb dramatically, increasing by more than 50 percent in the past two years.248 Several state institutions share responsibility for this ongoing impunity, including the military police for failing to ensure that its officers preserve the evidence that investigators need to determine the lawfulness of police killings, and the civil police for failing to conduct proper investigations. Ultimate responsibility for this failure, however, lies squarely with the Attorney General's Office, for failing to exercise its oversight authority of the police with appropriate vigor, failing to conduct its own investigations of police killings, and failing to prosecute cases where evidence was available to do so. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed October 9, 2018 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/brazil0716web_1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Extrajudicial Executions Shelf Number: 152862 |
Author: Langeani, Bruno Title: Where Do Weapons of Crime Come From? An Analysis of the Weapons Seized in 2011 and 2012 in Sao Paulo Summary: The 10th anniversary of the approval of the Disarmament Statute (Law 10.826/2003) in 2013 was much celebrated by society. This was a ground-breaking moment that brought a number of rules regarding, and definitions of who is accountable for controlling, the life cycle of weapons (from manufacturing, to marketing and registration, to destruction). Additionally, it banned the civilian carrier permit and established stricter criteria for access to weapons, resulting in concrete contributions to the prevention of crimes. Moments like this are essential for the attainment of reflection-based diagnostics to enable a better understanding of progress, challenges and limitations on gun control in Brazil. The present study analyzed the total amount of weapons seized in the city of Sao Paulo to identify the profile of the weapons used in crime, understanding that this is key information for public security organs in Brazil, so that they are able to design strategies to reduce violence. This report, considering its depth and volume (more than 14.000 articles analyzed), is the most comprehensive study on weapons of crime performed in Brazil since the Parliamentary Investigative Commission on Arms Trafficking, conducted by the House of Representatives in 2006. As a result of the effort undertaken by Instituto Sou da Paz staff and with the full support of the State of Sao Paulo Department of Public Safety, this report serves as the first stage of a study that will track all weapons carrying a full or partial serial number. The aim is to better understand how these weapons enter the legal market (date, Federation State in which it was commercialized, and the purchasers' category), as well as the dynamics of their diversion to the illicit market. Details: Sao Paulo: Instituto Sou da Paz,2017. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2018 at: http://www.soudapaz.org/upload/file/relatorio_armas_do_crime_ingles_1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Gun Control Shelf Number: 0 |
Author: Bento, Fabiana Title: Murders in the city of Sao Paulo: analysis of reported incidents from January 2012 to June 2013 Summary: his study presents an analysis of incidents of murder reported in the city of Sao Paulo from January 2012 to June 2013. Our objective in completing this report is to organize and share the information available concerning murder when it is first reported to the Civil Police (i.e. the Incident Reports), with the hope of amplifying understanding about the phenomenon at large. Under what circumstances do these deaths occur? What are the profiles of the victims and the perpetrators? In which locations are these incidents most common? These are some of the questions that we sought to answer and that can contribute to the creation of policies better poised to confront homicide in the city. If today the city of Sao Paulo demonstrates murder rates that are indisputably better than they were fifteen or twenty years ago (which does not diminish in anyway the relevance of the problem currently), this is a consequence of investment in intelligence that mapped areas with higher concentrations of crime, created profiles of victims and perpetrators, and identified motives and weapons. The information that was discovered allowed for the implementation of preventative measures and investigations that directly impacted awareness about and reduction of crime. This intelligent and strategic perspective of seeking to comprehend the dynamics behind killings should be well-publicized and incorporated as a common practice; however, the last official study released to the general public - the Anuario do Departamento de Homicidios e Protecao a Pessoa - was published in 2008. It is still a common problem in Brazil that when homicides take center stage, generally due to an increase in statistics, the debate is overrun by explanations based on stereotypes- oftentimes attempting to link fatalities to the drug trade without pursuing a deeper understanding of the situation and entering into dialogue with the reality of the facts. Thus the importance of this research, which proposes to update the analysis of murders in the city with an eye towards verifying which of the characteristics previously discovered - such as the high rate of victimization of young male adults, the involvement of firearms, and the relationship between homicides and interpersonal conflicts - have remained constant. Despite its limitations, considering that we are working with the first information received by the police, the analysis creates a panorama of murders in the city using constructive data that can suggest a certain path forward. We understand that this is a first step, and our hope is that it does not become merely a rote exercise, but that it can stimulate further research that continues to build greater knowledge of the dynamics associated with homicide in Sao Paulo. Details: Sao Paulo: Instituto Sou da Paz, 2013. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2018 at: http://www.soudapaz.org/upload/file/conhecimento_homicidios_sp_ingl_s.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil Keywords: Crime Rates Shelf Number: 153412 |
Author: Mourao, Barbara Title: Police, Justice, And Drugs: How Is Our Democracy? Summary: Over the last 25 years, the most consistent feature of public security policies in Brazil has been the lack of continuity, with moments of hope, optimism and advancement prospects being succeeded by disappointment and disappointment. In this changing scenario, CESeC has brought us courageous, honest and balanced research on the most pressing problems that Brazilian cities face, deconstructing myths, shedding light on the deeper causes of violence and revealing structural difficulties to reduce it. Since it was founded 16 years ago, the CESeC was notable for its research and activism around the potentialities and shortcomings of the Brazilian criminal justice system. Through books, reports, conferences and opinion articles in newspapers of the whole country, this production became a national reference for those concerned with equitable justice and guarantee of citizens' rights under the Democratic State right. The articles published in this volume are only a small fraction of the and discuss recent public security issues and policies. Although almost all refer to Rio de Janeiro, its relevance extends to cities across the country facing the same problems. The review of the public security policies of the State of Rio in the last thirty years, developed by Silvia Ramos, clearly shows inconsistencies and oscillations of the pendulum, where new policies emerge as promises and then dismantled with a return to violent and militaristic practices. Is the case of the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs), whose initial success and weaknesses later, analyzed in the texts of Leonarda Musumeci and Barbara Mourao, should be taken as relevant lessons for any attempt to reform models of public safety in force in Brazil. The serious problem of the excessive use of force by the Brazilian police forces is evident both in the form of daily lethal violence against the poorest and in the brutality against demonstrations of protest of the population. Mapping the international debate of the so-called "non-lethal" or "less Leonard Musumeci's article discusses the impacts of this dissemination on the levels of police use of force, the legitimacy of police action and the exercise of democratic right to protest. Promising innovations in the areas of justice and security with potentially equitable and effective depend on a series of variables that will determine their greater or lesser success. Evaluating impacts of the introduction of mediation of conflicts in judicial practice in 2010, the article by Barbara Musumeci Mourao analyzes the reactions of people who participated in mediations in centers in Rio de Janeiro. Despite the relatively positive results of the evaluation, the text raises important critical questions to reflect on what is essential for the success of the initiative. In the same way, the look at the gender relations that cross and configure the police institutions is present in another article by the same author, as a crucial element for the democratization of the police, giving consistency and sense to any attempt to innovate their models of action. In practically all the great Brazilian cities there are spaces popularly known as "cracolandias", generally seen as epicenters of marginalization violence.The study coordinated by Eliana Sousa Silva (Networks of the Tide) and Julita Lemgruber (CESeC) shows the human face of a community crack users and the need to adopt integrated public policies that emphasize harm reduction, rather than repressive policies that marginalize even more street drug users. Since 2009, CESeC has been a pioneer in researching and promoting debate excessive use of the provisional arrest, which contributes to overcrowding, incarceration and for daily violations of basic human rights. The article by Julita Lemgruber and Marcia Fernandes included in this volume specifically analyzes violation of the constitutional rights of those charged with drug trafficking, showing that convictions are generally based only on the testimony of police officers who made the arrest in flagrante. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Centro de Estudos de Seguranca e Cidadania, 2016. 303p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 9, 2018 at: https://www.ucamcesec.com.br/livro/policia-justica-e-drogas-como-anda-nossa-democracia/ Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 153951 |
Author: Tinoco, Dandara Title: Na Porta de Saida, a Entrada No Trabalho: Politicas Para a Expansao do Emprego de Presos e Egressos no Rio de Janeiro (At the Door of Exit, Entrance at Work: Policies for the Expansion of the Employment of Prisoners and Graduates in Rio de Janeiro) Summary: Introduction Although there are different views on how to make progress in the penitentiary system, there are consensus among policymakers and experts on the theme in the Brazilian context. Recent episodes - such as the death of more than 120 people in rebellions in prisons of Amazonas, Roraima and Rio Grande do Norte in 20172 - turned their attention to such as the more than 720 thousand people imprisoned in Brazil, in a system with 368 thousand vacancies. The high occupancy rate, of 197 percent, has a direct negative impact on prison management, not only in conditions, but also the ability of the public basic services to prisoners. If the serious complications related to health and social assistance are better known, the question of work and its relation with the reduction of recidivism is still little explored in the public debate, between managers, civil society and the private sector. The lack of employment opportunities for people prey and for egressas of the prison system demands attention mainly by the relation between work, remission of sentence, financial autonomy and reintegration. It is worth noting that the time of release from prison is of special social and economic vulnerability for the newly freed person. Brazilian legislation presents a series of provisions on the work of prisoners. The Law of Criminal Procedure (LEP) brings 52 mentions to the word "work" and provides that it has educational purpose and productive. The numbers of prisoners who work in Brazil, however, are low. Only 15 percent of prisoners are involved in work activities. In the state of Rio de Janeiro - focus of this analysis-, only 1.7 percent. There is little information about the work of prisoners. This is explained in part because of the lack of specific and structured public policies for this audience - which at least 194,000 people in the first half of 2016 throughout the country. The recent edition of a presidential decree that determines that companies providing services to the federal government should hiring people arrested and released shed light on the subject. This first signaling of a national prison labor policy has generated growing on the subject. National and international legal mechanisms point out that the time of restriction of freedom must be used, among other things, to provide conditions for the grieving person to return to the society without breaking laws. There are few studies on the impact of employment for prisoners and graduates in Brazil. At the international level, however, program evaluations support to the insertion in the labor market of graduates point directly to the reduction of criminal re-offenses and re-entry into the prison system. In addition, United States show that labor activities developed during the time of positive impacts, such as income generation and professional gain. Thus, would mitigate the impacts of criminal organizations on those individuals. Development policies to work for people incarcerated and unemployed, together with social assistance, education and training are therefore central instruments for breaking cycles of violence. In view of the presented scenario, the present strategic article maps the current state of the art of access to work by prisoners and graduates and a series of opportunities and challenges to their expansion into Rio de Janeiro state. The main results were: - In Rio de Janeiro, several public agencies and institutions, such as the Secretariat of Administration Penitentiary (Seap), Santa Cabrini Foundation, Patronato Magarino Torres, Public Defender's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro (DPERJ), Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro (VEP-RJ) work of prisoners and graduates. This makes their employment expansion dependent on an articulated work between these different institutional actors. - There are opportunities for advancement in relation to the topic in the state. Economic advantages and gains in social responsibility are attractive to entrepreneurs. On the other hand, bureaucratic, low level of schooling and stigma are challenges to be overcome. - Employment analysis for prisoners and graduates offered by eight companies and bodies public in the state of Rio shows high turnover in vacancies aimed at these people, by negative and positive factors. Instability indicates that safety is low guarantee of work. All employers report that the initiative to seek partnerships to hire prisoners and departed departed from them and not from the public power. - According to the answers, the average age (above 28 years) of the contractors is higher than that of the prison population in general. Half of the contractors employ men and women, and the other half only men. General services is the activity in which prisoners / egressos act that appears more frequently. - It is possible to build a state public policy to expand the work of prisoners and graduates Actions in several areas, such as training, processes and communication strategy. This strategic article is divided into five parts, in addition to this introduction. First, we evidence on the relationship between work and social reintegration, as well as an overview of the subject and numbers in the national context. Next, we present the situation of the Rio de Janeiro, indicating data and key actors. Then we delved into the work of prisoners and graduates in the state. The following section consists of an analysis of experiences of contracting this public. Finally, we bring forward public policy proposals for the expansion of prison labor and graduates of the penitentiary system of Rio de Janeiro. Although the table in the state presents challenges, there are various ways forward. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Instituto Igarape, 2018. 40p. Source: Internet Resource in Portuguese: Accessed January 11, 2019 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Na-porta-de-saida-a-entrada-no-trabalho-pressos-e-egressos.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 154136 |
Author: Reis, Antonio Tarcisio Title: Relationship Between Some Physical Spatial Variables and Four Types of Street Crimes Summary: Abstract This papers objective is the investigation of the relationship between the occurrence of four types of street crimes (pedestrian mugging, robbery of vehicle, vehicle theft, and theft of items inside a vehicle) in four different periods of the day (each period with six hours, starting at 6:00 a.m.) and physical spatial variables (segments attributes) such as: segment length, connectivity, integration, choice, dwelling types (houses or buildings with three or more floors), land use (residential or nonresidential), visual and physical connections, physical and visual barriers, nonvisual physical barriers and street lighting in the segments. The investigation is carried out in two residential boroughs in Porto Alegre, Brazil, namely, Menino Deus and Rio Branco. Data regarding the occurrence of the four types of crimes in the streets were collected in the Department of Public Security of the State of Rio Grande do Sul for a five years period, from 2006 to 2010. These data were tabulated in ArcGIS and related to each segment. Some segment attributes were obtained through the analysis in Depthmap of a segment map obtained from the axial map of the two boroughs. Data regarding dwelling type and land use were collected in the Department of City Planning. Data analysis included a linear multiple regression analysis, having the rates of four types of crimes in the streets as dependent variables, in each of the four periods of the day, to be explained by the physical spatial variables as independent variables. Results show, for example, that theft of items inside a vehicle is the type of street crime with the greatest number of occurrences, followed by the number of robbery of vehicle and by the number of vehicle theft, either in Menino Deus or in Rio Branco Borough. In general, the greatest number of theft of items inside a vehicle occurs during the night period. This is also the period where most robbery of vehicles, vehicles theft, and pedestrians mugging occurs. The linear multiple regression analysis carried out revealed that none of the 14 independent variables explain either rates of theft of vehicles or rates of theft of items inside a vehicle during the morning and afternoon periods. Additionally, a clear tendency for variables related to spatial configuration being associated with a reduction in any of the four types of street crime was found. On the other hand, variables characterizing the relationship between buildings and the street tend to be associated with an increase in any of the four types of street crime. Details: London, UK: Proceedings of the Tenth International Space Syntax Symposium, Space Syntax Laboratory, The Bartlett School of Architecture, 2015. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 14, 2019 at: http://www.sss10.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SSS10_Proceedings_138.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Department of City Planning Shelf Number: 154168 |
Author: Santos, Thandara Title: Levantamento Nacional de Informacoes Penitenciarias Infopen Mulheres (National Survey of Penitentiary Information Infopen Women) Summary: Introduction This report, which seeks to systematize the information available on the women incarcerated in Brazil, was carried out from the survey data National Penitentiary Information System - Infopen, whose reference period was the month of June 2014, and accessed records provided by 1,424 prison units in every state and federal penitentiary system. The statistical information system of the Brazilian penitentiary system, created in 2004, passed in 2014 for important reformulations in their methodology and collection mechanisms, in order to qualify the information provided to society. However, despite the continued efforts of the National Penitentiary improvement of procedures for collecting information at the units the gaps in the information provided by units and thus to base our analyzes and inferences on the available data, always pointing to the caveats of its scope. In the survey carried out for the period of June 2014, the last data available, the information regarding the state of Sao Paulo could not be obtained through the collection system developed by DEPEN and were collected directly from the Secretariat of Administration State Penitentiary in April 2015. In this effort, general information about the state for the types of establishments, number of places and total prison population. All other profile information about people deprived of their liberty and the infrastructure of the prison system for the state of Sao Paulo were excluded from the present survey. In the general summary of the prison population in June 2014, published by The National Penitentiary Department also includes information on persons custodians of police stations or similar establishments managed by by the Secretariats of Public Security. Information on this population was collected from the National Secretariat of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice and a total of 27,950 people in custody. Added to the data collected together to Infopen, we have a total prison population of 607,731 people deprived of throughout the country in June 2014. When analyzing the characteristics of this population with a gender cut, In this report's focus, it is necessary to highlight the gaps in the information collected different sources. If we analyze the historical series from 2000 to 2014, it is identify the absence of gender-disaggregated data for persons in custody in precincts and precincts in the years 2003 and 2014, as summarized in Figure 1 below. With regard to information on women in custody in managed units Security Secretariats, it is necessary to consider the data gaps for the years of 2003 and 2014, which prevent us from using the information for the analysis of the series historical. In this sense, for the purposes of this report, only the information from Infopen, informed by prisons through online surveys and disaggregated by gender. For analysis of the historical series, information from all states of the Federation shall be considered. In order to analyze the profile of the female population incarcerated in 2014, however, disregarded the information of the state of Sao Paulo, since the state did not participated in the survey. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: DEPEN, 2014. 42p. Source: Internet Resource (in Portuguese): Accessed January 16, 2019 at: http://www.justica.gov.br/news/estudo-traca-perfil-da-populacao-penitenciaria-feminina-no-brasil/relatorio-infopen-mulheres.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 154201 |
Author: Reis, Antonio Tarcisio Title: Pedestrian Mugging in Different Periods of the Day and Segments Attributes in Most Central Boroughs of Porto Alegre Summary: ABSTRACT This paper investigates the occurrence of pedestrian mugging in different periods of the day (morning, afternoon, night and dawn) and their relationship with physical-spatial attributes of segments in 22 most central boroughs of Porto Alegre, including: segment length, connectivity, integration and choice, physical and visual connections, physical and visual barriers, lampposts, number of garage doors, types of building uses, and the uses during each of the four periods of the day on ground floors. In addition to the period of the day, other temporal attributes are considered, such as day of week, month and year in which the pedestrian mugging occurred. The 22 boroughs in the most central area of Porto Alegre were selected due to the highest concentration of crime in the streets, and to the fact that they are the most consolidated and dense urban areas, enabling the identification of the physical-spatial attributes of the segments. The pedestrian mugging occurrences were collected through digital platform Where I was robbed (www.ondefuiroubado.com.br) and cover the period from 01/01/12 to 31/03/16, totalizing 4 years and 3 months. The information obtained was recorded in the Quantum GIS program, based on a satellite image of the region and related to a segment map, generated by Depthmap. Segments attributes such as segment length, connectivity, integration and global and local choice were quantified by segments map analysis in Depthmap for the whole region covered by the 22 boroughs. The following segments attributes were identified and quantified via Google Street View for 30 segments with no pedestrian mugging in any of the four periods of the day and for 10 segments with most pedestrian mugging in each period (28 different segments since 12 segments were selected for more than one period): functional connections (number of accesses); visual connections, physical and visual barriers, lampposts; and garage doors. Types of building uses (residential, commerce/services and mixed use), and the uses during each of the four periods of the day on ground floors (the existence or not of residential, services or commercial activities) were identified through a map of uses elaborated by the City Council and checked via Google Street View. In addition, statistical analyses were performed in SPSS/PC program. The results show, for example, the tendency of pedestrian mugging to occur in the segments with lower visual and physical permeability and with greater length. Moreover, pedestrian mugging occurs with greater intensity in the Centro Borough and its immediate vicinity, mainly during the night, followed by the afternoon period. Details: London, UK: Proceedings of the Tenth International Space Syntax Symposium, Space Syntax Laboratory, The Bartlett School of Architecture, 2015. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 16, 2019 at: http://www.11ssslisbon.pt/docs/proceedings/papers/106.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 154177 |
Author: Souza Menezes, Francisca Livia Title: Essays on the Economics of Crime (Brazil) Summary: This thesis studies some of the many costs associated with exposure to crime. Chapter 2 focuses on indirect exposure to crime, and investigates how homicides affect students' performance. A number of large administrative Brazilian datasets is used to estimate the causal effect of exposure to homicides in the public way on schooling outcomes. Within-school estimates show that violence in the surroundings of schools, at the residence of students, and on the walking path from residence to school has a negative effect on a number of measures of school achievement such as test scores, repetition, dropout and school progression. Results also show that school attendance suffers following a homicide in the school surroundings. Exceptionally rich data allow the investigation of heterogeneous effects and of the channels underlying these effects. Chapter 3 examines the effect of individual criminal victimisation in robbery and theft on birth outcomes using a unique dataset from Brazil combining information on the universe of victims of crime with vital statistics data. Results show that victimisation in robbery during the first trimester reduces birthweight substantially, by about 60 grams - 10 percent of a standard deviation in birthweight - and increases the likelihood for low birthweight by about 40 percent compared to the baseline. The results are robust to the inclusion of place of residence, hospital and time fixed effects and to the inclusion of a very large array of mother and pregnancy characteristics. Results also show that victimisation leads to a substantial increase in fetal deaths and a positive selection of live births, hence likely providing a lower bound of the estimated effects on birthweight. The very rich information from crime and birth records allow the investigation of the mechanisms underlying the estimated relationship. Chapter 4 studies the effect of criminal victimisation on labour market performance. A number of very rich Brazilian administrative datasets is combined to estimate the effect of exposure to day-to-day crime events of robbery and theft on monthly attendance and turnover of public servants. Using individual and workplace fixed effects, estimates show that after becoming a victim of robbery or theft, monthly attendance of public servants in the workplace is reduced. Individuals who were victims of crime are also more likely to change their workplace or to leave their job subsequently. Details: Leicester, UK: University of Leicester, 2018. 147p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 30, 2018 at: https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/43019 Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Costs of Crime Shelf Number: 154465 |
Author: Schneider, Rodrigo Title: Crime and Political Effects of a Concealed Carry Ban in Brazil Summary: This paper studies the effects of legislation in Brazil that banned concealed carry nationwide in 2003, and provided for a voter referendum 22 months later regarding whether to ban the sale of all firearms. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that gun-related homicides decreased by 12.2 percent, with the reduction especially pronounced in high-crime areas and among black males. Other crimes involving guns also declined. There is no evidence of substitution effect as non-gun-related homicides were not affected. Two pieces of evidence suggest that the mechanism explaining this result is a decrease in the number of people carrying gun in response to the legislation: first, the number of illegal gun carrying decreased and second, only gun-related homicides taking place outside the residence were reduced. Analysis of the subsequent voter referendum, which was defeated by a wide margin, shows stronger support for the complete weapons ban in the areas more affected by gun violence. Details: Unpublished paper, 2018. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3311194 Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Concealed Weapons Shelf Number: 154608 |
Author: Bellego, Christophe Title: Does it Pay to Fight Crime?: Evidence from the Pacification of Slums in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Abstract This paper estimates the effects of policy fighting drug gangs with official crime data. We use the pacification program of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, whose progressive rollout across several districts allows identifying its causal effects on several crime indicators. By combining a proxy variable and a simple structural model, we correct the bias resulting from the endogenous crime reporting change associated with the policy. We find that the program decreases murder rate by 7 percent, but increases assault rate by 51 percent, resulting in a rise in the total number of crimes. Our results are explained both by marginal and absolute crime deterrence effects and the fact that drug gangs secure the territories under their control. Details: S.L.: 2019. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3326563 Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Assault Rate Shelf Number: 155249 |
Author: Koppensteiner, Martin Foureaux Title: Violence and Human Capital Investments Summary: In this paper, we investigate the effect of student exposure to homicides on their educational performance and human capital investments. Combining a number of large geo-referenced administrative datasets from Brazil, we estimate the effect of exposure to homicides in the public way on these outcomes. Using within-school and within-corridor estimates, we show that violence in the surroundings of schools has a detrimental effect on school attendance and on standardised test scores in math and Portuguese language and increases dropout rates. We construct measures of student exposure to homicides on their way from home to school and find that exposure on the school path increases dropout rates substantially. Exceptionally rich data on student- and parent-reported aspirations and attitudes towards education allow us to explore the channels underlying these effects. Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), 2019. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper No. 12240: Accessed May 4, 2019 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp12240.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Children Exposed to Violence Shelf Number: 155623 |
Author: Galdeano, Ana Paula Title: Brasil - Nios y nias con madres y padres encarcelados por delitos de drogas menores no violentos (Brazil - Children with mothers and fathers imprisoned for non-violent minor drug offenses) Summary: This article addresses the specific situation of children and adolescents (NNA) with adult referents imprisoned for drug offenses in Brazil. The study of this problem is a challenging task due to the absence of official and academic information on how many They are and how these children live. In Brazil we found few studies on children with imprisoned parents (NNAPES, from here onwards) However, literature on the subject has increased in recent years (Braga and Angotti, 2015; Galdeano et al., 2018). In this sense, the bibliographical research of Ormen, Maia and Willians (2013) indicates that the Brazilian production on the subject is still small in comparison with the North American one; proof of this is that they only identified five scientific articles on the subject in question. In general, these works resort to theoretical references of psychology and seek to understand the impacts of incarceration on the affective dimension of the sons and daughters of people deprived of their freedom. In North America it has been identified that the impacts of incarceration imply issues such as social stigma, traumas derived from having witnessed the arrest of parents, regressive and antisocial behavior, early involvement in crime, feelings of anxiety, guilt, loneliness and abandonment, low self-esteem, various disorders in feeding, sleep and attention, among others (Cunningham and Baker, 2003; Johnston, 1995; apud Ormen, Maya and Willians, 2013). It should be noted that the English-language works are focused, above all, in the children of imprisoned women. In addition, in Latin America some studies have been carried out to know the reality of the NNAPES, which includes various recommendations in this regard. An important contribution to the debate is found in the research coordinated by Church World Service and Gurises Unidos (2013) on the social, economic and affective impacts of this problematic in the region. Inspired by this initiative, in Brazil we conducted an investigation - supported by the Articulation of Movements of the Rights of Children and Adolescents- in the 36 children and adolescents participated with relatives deprived of their liberty for different crimes (Galdeano et al., 2018). Because it is not a representative sample, the results obtained are not generalizable to the total population of NNAPES. However, our findings indicate that the family and community life in poor territories is strongly crossed by the Imprisonment phenomenon. Especially, we find that the reality of prisons precedes the moment of incarceration, since among the children interviewed, seven (19.4%) witnessed the detention of their relatives, six (16.6%) observed beatings by the police and one witnessed the exchange of gunfire. These situations clearly reveal the forms of frightening, humiliating and shameful treatment that children receive from the State during the detention of their relatives, all of which contravenes the provisions of the Statute of the Child and the Adolescent (Brazil, 1990: Article 18). Likewise, we observe that the imprisonment of adolescents and adults is an experience common among neighbors, friends and acquaintances of the children interviewed (14 of them (38.8%) reported having adolescent friends deprived of freedom in the socio-educational system). Details: Church World Service, 2018. 45p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed May 16, 2019 at: http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/en Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Children of Inmates Shelf Number: 155870 |
Author: Barreto, Paulo Title: Will Meat-Packing Plants Help Halt Deforestation in the Amazon? Summary: The meat-packing plants that purchase cattle in the Amazon have been pressured by environmental campaigns and lawsuits to fight the deforestation practiced by ranchers. The pressure to eliminate deforestation, legal or illegal, is growing, since this is the most polluting activity in the country if we consider gases emitted by burning forests that contribute to global warming. Some meat-packing companies have committed to buying only from ranches without deforestation occurring after 2009. Seven years after the first agreement, we went to the field to see if the meat-packing plants can in fact contribute towards eliminating deforestation in the region. Based on new data and revised studies, we demonstrate that the agreements have advanced, but many still need to be done in order for the sector to effectively contribute towards eliminating deforestation in the Amazon. In 2009, the Federal Public Prosecution Service (MPF) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) sued meat-packing plants in the state of Para that were buying from embargoed ranches due to illegal deforestation and the MPF also threatened to sue companies such as supermarkets and tanning factories that continued to buy from those meat-packing plants. In the same period, Greenpeace carried out a global campaign that alerted buyers of products from meat-packing plants that were associated with illegal deforestation. In order to free themselves from criminal charges and boycotts from part of the market, several meat-packing plants, including the four largest at the time, signed settlement agreements (Conduct Adjustment Terms - TAC) with the MPF and a public commitment with Greenpeace. The TAC is a legal commitment that, if not followed, authorizes the MPF to carry out sanctions without the need for court intervention. The meat-packing plants that signed the TAC committed themselves to buying only from ranches free of deforestation after 2009, off the list for work analogous to slavery of the Ministry of Labor, registered with the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR provides a map of the ranch and information on the holder of the property and serves as an identification card for the ranch) and that are not in Protected Areas. Later on, other meat-packing plants signed TAC in other Amazon states, creating the expectation that this type of agreement may be a promising instrument against deforestation. Below, we summarize the situation with the agreements, their advances and their challenges. Details: Belem, PA: Imazon; Cuiaba: Instituto Centro da Vida, 2017. 162p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 17, 2019 at: https://imazon.org.br/PDFimazon/Ingles/books/Meat-Plancking%20Deforestation.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 155897 |
Author: Araujo, Elis Title: Most Deforested Conservation Units in the Legal Amazon Summary: Conservation Units (Unidades de Conservacao - UCs) cover 22% of the Legal Amazon and are an effective strategy to preserve animals, plants and environmental services, and also to halt deforestation and to maintain the planet's climate balance. However, deforestation rates in UCs have been increasing in 2015, they already surpassed the 2012 rate by 79% and its participation in Amazons total deforestation increased from 6% in 2008 to 12% in 2015. As a consequence of the deforestation of 237.3 thousand hectares in UCs between 2012 and 2015, equivalent to R$ 344 million in appropriated lands, approximately 136 million trees were destroyed, causing death or displacement of approximately 4.2 million birds and 137,000 monkeys. In addition, we estimated that the burning of vegetation in this deforested area has emitted 119 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year - which compares to 80% of Brazils car fleet emissions in September 2016; and that this deforestation generated gross income of R$ 300 million from the sale of timber (value of standing timber), creating a huge investment potential in deforestation. In this context, we identified the 50 most deforested UCs between 2012 and 2015 in the Legal Amazon, which represent only 16% of the total UCs in the region. Overall, they lost 229,900 hectares of forest, that is, 97% of the area deforested in UCs between 2012 and 2015. These UCs in critical deforestation situations are in the area of agricultural frontier expansion and under the influence of infrastructure projects, such as highways, waterways, ports and hydroelectric power plants. Most of the deforestation detected in the period, 49.8% and 38.9% is concentrated in the states of Para and Rondonia, respectively. The federal UCs are in a larger number on the ranking (27), but the state ones presented a greater deforested area (68%). The top 10 ranking positions accounted for 79% of the deforested area within the Legal Amazon UCs between 2012 and 2015 and 82% of the deforestation total on the ranking. The Environmental Protection Areas (APA) occupy five of the top 10 positions. They aim to reconcile human occupation with environmental protection, but this is not possible without management tools. Among state UCs, we highlight APA Triunfo do Xingu, which is the most deforested UC of the Legal Amazon. Among federal UCs, Flona Jamanxim is the most deforested and holds 3rd place on the ranking. The vulnerability of these areas stems from systemic failures of the government, which has a duty to protect them. Among these vulnerabilities, we highlight: i) the erratic and limited strategy of the government, which consists of changing rules and weakening environmental legislation according to current interests and tolerating illegal deforestation until 2030; ii) the scarce human resources for management and the worrying trend of a reduction in the number of federal environmental analysts stationed in the Amazon, 40% in ICMBio (2010-2016) and 33% in Ibama (2009-2015); iii) insufficient financial resources to make the necessary investments to implement the UCs only 16 critical federal UCs in this study would need R$ 10.6 million per year, which is 3.26 times higher than the average of ICMBio investment resources between 2014 and 2016 for the whole country and 3.42 times higher than that projected for 2017; iv) the ineffectiveness in execution, which is revealed in the low application of available financial resources. For example, between 2009 and 2014, ICMBio used only 35% of the R$ 218 million received for environmental compensation; the slowness in combating irregular occupations, which causes environmental and social damages; and the low rate of punishment for environmental and agrarian crimes. In order to eliminate deforestation and ensure effective protection of these areas in the long term, it will be necessary to build a consistent strategy, to provide human and financial resources and to improve the effectiveness of their implementation. But it is unlikely that the leadership to carry out these tasks comes in isolation from the government, since part of it clearly acts against the public interest. The protection and sustainable use of UCs will also require vigorous and ongoing involvement from various sectors of society, the private sector, and the international community. There is potential for stronger involvement in conservation in Brazil, as 91% of Brazilians favor forestry conservation and another 91% are proud of the country, motivated to a large extent by its riches and natural beauty. We conclude by exploring opportunities for this engagement, considering three goals: Ensure immediate protection of the most critical areas and their populations. It is necessary to protect the local populations of the Amazon, such as indigenous peoples and rubber tappers, who have fought and continue to fight for the creation and maintenance of protected areas. Several agents, besides the police, could contribute to this. Social and environmental NGOs, governments, and international and national donors could increase support for these populations and the implementation of the areas based on the experiences of PPG7 (G7 Rainforest Protection Program) and Arpa (Amazon Protected Areas Program), which permitted the creation of tens of millions of hectares of protected areas in the Amazon. In addition, they could also support the long-term implementation of UCs, as Arpa intends to do. Religious leaders and their followers could step up support for conservation based on Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter, which calls for forest conservation as part of the effort to care for the common home (the planet). Military forces could intensify their action in the fight against deforestation and the land grabbing of public lands in areas of greater conflict. In addition, the Public Prosecution Service and the Courts of Accounts could hold public administrators accountable for reducing the area or degree of protection of UCs to meet the demands of squatters illegally occupying public property, based on the Law of Responsibility of the President of the Republic and of the Ministers of State and in the Administrative Improbity Law Block the demand and financing of illegal deforestation. There is a need to increase the pressure on businesses to improve and expand their commitment to sustainability. To this end, Public Prosecutor's Service and environmental agencies could increase the liability of companies that buy products from illegally deforested areas and those that finance such activities. They could also monitor the implementation of Resolution No. 4.327/2014, which requires financial institutions to establish and implement the Social and Environmental Responsibility Policy (PRSA). NGO campaigns and investigative reporting on law-breaking companies could strengthen such accountability actions and protect companies that comply with laws and agreements from unfair competition. In addition to boycotting illegal production, it is essential to stimulate sustainable production in areas already deforested outside UCs. However, public credit directed exclusively to the most sustainable practices in Brazil (ABC Program - low carbon agriculture) will represent only 1.6% of the countrys total rural credit in the 2016-2017 Agriculture and Livestock Plan. But the financial sector could help scale up sustainable production initiatives by engaging more strongly with governments, producers, and supply chain partners (such as traders, slaughterhouses, supermarket chains) to identify opportunities and remove barriers. Ensure the long-term sustainability of Conservation Units. Several approaches could sustain conservation in the long term. Involvement will tend to be stronger when involving sensorial and emotional experiences, such as tourism, educational expeditions, artistic and sporting events. Such activities could strengthen the regional economy and create a virtuous cycle - UCs would increase tourism which, in turn, would increase the desire to conserve. It is estimated that tourism in UCs already moves approximately R$ 4 billion per year, generates 43 thousand jobs and adds R$ 1.5 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Such an approach could bring together environmental, cultural and commercial interests, similar to the US experience with the creation of national parks. In addition to local benefits, scientific research shows that conserving the Amazon is strategic for the country's development because of its contributions to rainfall that fuels agriculture, hydroelectric power plants and industrial consumption in the southern center of the country. In order to engage national leaders who are unaware of the Amazon, scientists, educators and other professionals could develop programs that combine the presentation of scientific evidence about the Amazon with sensory and emotional experiences through field visits and other means (shows, films, etc.). Details: Belem, Brazil: Imazon, 2017. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 20, 2019 at: https://imazon.org.br/PDFimazon/Ingles/books/Most%20deforestation%20Protected%20Area%20Amazon%202012-2015.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil Keywords: Amazon Shelf Number: 155940 |
Author: Kramer, Kelly Title: Brazil's "Operation Car Wash": The Latest Chapter Summary: "Operation Car Wash," the investigation into the largest corruption scandal in Brazilian history, continues to unfold and expand. Reaching far beyond Petrobras, the probe is dramatically impacting Brazil's politics, economy and the manner in which Brazilian authorities investigate criminal allegations. Please join us as we discuss: Latest developments in the investigation and an overview of its key events and facts Its political implications, including the impeachment proceeding against President Dilma Rousseff Legislative proposals spurred by Operation Car Wash, including tentative changes to the plea bargaining system, whistleblower program, abuse of authority and the "10 actions against corruption" New tactics being adopted by the federal police and prosecutors - Latest developments of the Petrobras case in the United States. Details: S.L.: Mayer Brown and Tauil & Chequer Advogados, 2016. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 22, 2019 at: https://www.mayerbrown.com/-/media/files/perspectives-events/events/2016/09/brazils-operation-car-wash-the-latest-chapter/files/view-slides/fileattachment/160920-chi-webinar-anti-corruption-car-wash-slides.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Brazil Keywords: Abuse of Authority Shelf Number: 155982 |
Author: Lagunes, Paul Title: Policy Briefs on Lava Jato: Backgrounder on Lava Jato Summary: Lava Jato or Operation Car Wash refers to Latin America's largest known corruption scheme in living memory. Related events began unfolding in Brazil in March of 2014. Construction companies were colluding with employees of Brazil's state-owned oil company to win public works contracts. The oil company's employees took bribes, while politicians obtained kickbacks as personal gifts or campaign donations. The relevant scholarship had warned that corruption could result in public works being constructed at inflated costs. However, such warnings were ignored, and so the people involved in the scheme managed to steal billions in state funds. Prosecutors further revealed that bribes paid by the region's largest construction group extended to eleven other countries besides Brazil. In spite of the continued interest among policy practitioners and academics, there are key questions about Lava Jato that remain unanswered. For instance, how did the construction company that led the corruption scheme choose the countries in which to do business? According to the international press, the scheme played a role in the 2014 World Cup, but was corruption also at work in the planning and execution of the 2016 Rio Olympics? Also, what is motivating some of the key actors fighting corruption in Brazil, and what can be done to avoid similar corruption scandals in the future? To answer these and related questions, the Center on Global Economic Governance (CGEG) at Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs has collected a series of policy briefs on Lava Jato-related themes. This project is proudly cosponsored by the Center for Development Economics and Policy (CDEP), Columbia Global Center in Rio, and the Latin America Initiative at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy with the goal of shedding light on a complex problem that has affected the lives of millions. Details: New York: Center on Global Economic Governance at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, 2018. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 22, 2019 at: https://cgeg.sipa.columbia.edu/policy-briefs-lava-jato Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 155983 |
Author: Greenpeace International Title: Lead Astray Again: The Ongoing Illegal Trade of U.S. Scrap Lead Acid Batteries to Brazil Summary: Greenpeace researchers have discovered that imports of scrap lead acid batteries (LAB) into Brazil are continuing in violation of Brazilian and international law. Grupo Moura, one of the country's largest manufacturers of car batteries, is the principal importer of LAB into Brazil despite national import ban since 1994. According to data from the Brazilian foreign trade secretary (SECEX) from January to June of 1997, 5,702 tons of lead scrap batteries were imported to Brazil and 5,000 tons (88%) came from the U.S. Grupo Moura is responsible for all imports from the U.S. with a total value of U.S.$774,000. In October 1996, Greenpeace denounced Moura's illegal imports of over 66,000 tons of used LAB from the U.S. Greenpeace analysis of soil, water and sediment samples from Grupo Moura's lead recycling facilities in the state of Pernambuco show dangerous lead contamination caused by the company's operations. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, between January and April of 1997, the U.S. exported U.S. $842,000 worth of scrap batteries to Brazil. Shipping manifests from the U.S. Port of Miami showed 108 containers (2,800 tons) labeled as "batteries wet filled with acid UN 2794" were shipped to the port of Suape/Recife in Pernambuco, Brazil in the first five months of 1997 (1). The exporter was International Trade Partners of Medley, Florida. (2) The shipments were all done on the SeaLand vessels "Sea Wolf" of "Sea Fox". In this illegal trade, with which Brazil bases its industrial development on the importation of hazardous waste from the United States, Brazil essentially doubles its lead contamination problem: while lead batteries are imported for dirty recycling, Brazil's own used batteries are left in landfills, on the roadsides or end in backyard smelters. In this report, Greenpeace documents the trade in lead acid batteries, and calls for measure by Brazil and the U.S. to end this illegal and hazardous trade. Details: Amsterdam: Netherlands: Greenpeace International, 1997. 5p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 22, 2019 at: http://archive.ban.org/library/lead_astray.html Year: 1997 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 156006 |
Author: Varns, Theodore Title: Sao Felix de Xingu, Brazil: A Jurisdictional Approach to Conserving the Amazon Summary: Since 2009, The Nature Conservancy has supported a jurisdictional program in the municipality of Sao Felix do Xingu (SFX), Para, Brazil to reduce deforestation and support sustainable economic development. SFX represents a microcosm of the challenges of deforestation and sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon. The program was built to bring together multiple conservation strategies into a single landscape to demonstrate how to balance improved environmental governance with economic alternatives that do not contribute to deforestation. With official leadership of the municipal government, the program first responded to the federal deforestation blacklist of the top deforesting municipalities by registering private lands in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and forging a multi-stakeholder pact to end illegal deforestation that also aimed to improve the social and economic well-being of SFX communities. This involved supporting the municipal government to improve capacity by establishing an Environmental Observatory to monitor deforestation, improving licensing processes, improving public communications, and helping develop a low-carbon agriculture strategy. TNC also supported the identification and development of specialized strategies for specific stakeholders. From these emerged sustainable models on cocoa agroforestry systems (for smallholder farmers), sustainable cattle intensification (for medium and large landholders), indigenous territorial management, and support for management of public protected areas. Thus far, promising results are being observed within these strategies. Small farmers testing cocoa agroforestry systems have increased their incomes and food security. The cattle intensification model is proving profitable for larger landholders. The cocoa and cattle strategies are expanding into neighboring municipalities with similar land and actor dynamics, and the state of Para is supporting the scaling up of these models into its Para 2030 sustainable development plan. The jurisdictional approach emphasized coordination among focused programs for specific stakeholders and developed from a shared vision of where the municipality and the state wanted to go. Strategies began with early adopters to test ideas before scaling up. The program showed the importance of coupling environmental enforcement with positive economic incentives to create effective partnerships. TNCs technical expertise and political neutrality allowed it to play a critical role as convener and backbone organization to support the jurisdictional and sectoral strategies. Ongoing challenges include the need to provide effective incentives to transform productive models, and the need for continued environmental enforcement to control illegal deforestation and land grabbing. Empowering local actors to lead the agenda is also critical to maintain progress on environmental governance, and to create resilience to inevitable political changes that can interrupt availability of resources (e.g. reduced enforcement budgets). While major uncertainties remain on governance, resource availability, and protected area management, several viable paths forward have been developed that are worth continued investment and experimentation. Details: Arlington, Virginia: The Nature Conservancy, 2018. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 28, 2019 at: https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/TNC_JurisdictionalApproaches_CaseStudies_Brazil.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 156067 |
Author: Nishijima, Marislei Title: Public Transport Expansion and Crime - A Case Study of the Core of Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region Summary: The paper examines the impact of new public transport on selected crime indices in the core of the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR). Given the possible endogeneity of public transport to determine crime, we exploit the historical 1968 plan of public transport expansion as a possible IV for actual public transport expansion in SPMR sub-districts over 2000-16. This is because SPMR sub-districts that received new transport connections in our samples were very similar in all relevant ways to those that did not, but were included in the plan. Also the reasons for sub-districts that were planned to get public transport, but did not get it, were related to local resistance and problems of land acquisitions, but unrelated to crime, thus justifying the exogeneity of the IV. Results suggest that public transport expansion had significantly lowered homicide rates though it was accompanied by a significant increase in property crimes in the treated sub-districts in the full sample. Further, there is evidence that the homicide reducing effects of public transport expansion were most pronounced for expansion of metro (as opposed to bus) lines and in this case there was no increase in property crime rates. We show that these effects can be attributed to increasing gentrification of the treated districts receiving new public transport, as reflected in increases in share of households paying much higher house rents and that of share of educated employed people and drop in share of households living in favelas as well as local arrests and also that these gentrification effects were stronger for sub-districts that received costlier metro (rather than bus) connections. Details: Sao Paulo, Brazil: University of Sao Paulo, 2019. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2019 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332207493_Public_Transport_Expansion_and_Crime_-_A_Case_Study_of_the_Core_of_Sao_Paulo_Metropolitan_Region Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 156088 |
Author: Pucci, Rafael Diniz Title: Brazil on Trial: Mafia, Organized Crime, Gang, Terrorist Group - or, Simply, a Problem Created by a State Policy Summary: The present article searches an explanation for the acts - in the period from the 12th until 19th of May 2006 - that were attributed to the PCC (First Command of the Capital) in Brazil, and impacted especially on the state of Sao Paulo. Firstly, it analyses the debate concerning the mass imprisonment model that Brazil has followed in the last fifteen years. Then, it tries to summarize those facts and, further, it attempts to discuss what kind of actor the PCC is - is it a Terrorist Organization, as one Brazilian newspaper labeled it? A Mafia style organisation (as a German newspaper called it)? A Gang (as an Italian newspaper stated) or a Criminal Organization (French, Spanish and Argentinean newspapers)? Details: Freiburg i. Br.: edition iuscrim, 2006. 24p. Source: (Vol. 36) forschung aktuell | research in brief. Freiburg i. Br.: edition iuscrim. Accessed June 14, 2019 at: https://www.mpicc.de/en/publications/brazil-on-trial-mafia-organized-crime-gang-terrorist-group-or-simply-a-problem-created-by-a-state-policy/ Year: 2006 Country: Brazil Keywords: Mafia Shelf Number: 156417 |
Author: Broach, Sophie Title: Reservoirs of Injustice: How Incarceration for Drug-Related Offenses Fuels the Spread of Tuberculosis in Brazil Summary: Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) kills more people than any other infectious disease. TB is detectable and curable; however, connecting under-served populations - who are at a disproportionately high risk of contracting TB - with diagnostic tools and treatment remains a critical barrier to combating it. Prisoners are especially vulnerable, and are on average 23 times as likely to contract TB as members of the general population. Alarmingly, incarceration rates are accelerating in many countries, driven in large part by harsh penalties for minor drug-related crimes, punitive sentencing, and lengthy pre-trial detention. Human rights defenders and criminal justice organizations highlight these policies as an explanation for the explosion of the prison population and rampant overcrowding. Growing prison populations also threaten public health by increasing the total population exposed to TB and facilitating the spread of TB from prisons to free communities. Research has demonstrated that population-level increases in TB can plausibly be attributed to high levels of imprisonment. Due to the interrelatedness of punitive drug policies, mass incarceration, and the spread of TB, efforts to curb the disease incidence must incorporate drug policy reform. This report uses Brazil as a case study to demonstrate that punitive drug policies and the ensuing growth in incarceration have contributed to the spread of TB in the country. Research covered primary and secondary sources, including epidemiological studies, government reports, news articles, and scholarly research. The authors of this report also conducted interviews, remotely and in-person, with drug policy experts, public health researchers, advocates for prison reform, medical doctors, legal professionals, and other stakeholders in and outside of Brazil. By bringing together research from diverse sources, this report demonstrates the public health imperative to reform drug policy. The criminal justice system in Brazil creates a perfect storm for TB transmission both inside and outside of prisons by targeting marginalized groups and thereby exacerbating social inequities and the underlying vulnerability of incarcerated populations. Prisoners are more likely to have additional risk factors that increase their likelihood of developing active TB, including malnutrition, substance abuse, and HIV. People who are nonwhite, of low socioeconomic status, and of low educational attainment are more likely to be incarcerated, where they face greater risk of contracting TB and transmitting the disease to people in their communities upon release. These groups are also more likely to have TB to begin with. Channeling members of marginalized populations into a prison system that heightens their risk of disease perpetuates health inequities and class divisions within Brazil's society. Brazilian drug policy, and its discriminatory implementation, have contributed to the huge growth in the prison population and have disproportionately impacted non-whites and women. The proportion of prisoners incarcerated for drug-related offenses has risen dramatically in recent years, in large part due to a 2006 drug law, which created a more punitive system for drug trafficking. The law fails to differentiate clearly between drug users and traffickers, providing arresting officers with broad discretion in determining whether individuals are arrested for trafficking or possession. As a result, an influx of people charged with drug crimes is currently overburdening the prison system. Lengthy pre-trial detention and delays in transitioning prisoners to the next phase of their sentences has exacerbated overcrowding. While the use of custody hearings - in which individuals are brought before a judge within 24 hours of arrest to determine whether or not they should be detained prior to trial - has shown promising results for reducing overcrowding in pre-trial detention centers, various barriers have inhibited widespread implementation of the practice. The rise in drug-related incarceration and ensuing growth in the prison population has farreaching public health repercussions. TB remains a major public health threat in Brazil, in large part due to the unchecked health crisis within its overcrowded, under-resourced prisons, where the TB notification rate is 31 times as high as that for the general population. The incidence of TB among prisoners as well as the proportion of TB cases occurring among prisoners have both been increasing in recent years, while the size of the prison population has increased drastically. In 2016, prisons held almost twice as many prisoners as they were designed to house. Overcrowded, poorly ventilated prisons promote the transmission of TB,19 and overwhelmed prison systems cannot hope to provide medical care for all prisoners. In the current Brazilian political climate, prison conditions seem likely to deteriorate and overcrowding to intensify. Prisons also act as reservoirs and amplifiers for TB, facilitating its spread to surrounding communities. Prison staff, visitors, and released prisoners can transmit the disease to their home communities. Epidemiological research in Brazil drawing on molecular technology has connected TB strains from within prisons to those identified beyond their walls.20,21 Inadequate screening and diagnostic tools prevent prisoners with TB from being identified, and many prisons rely on prisoners to report their symptoms, which typically only occur at an advanced stage of the disease. The prevalent attitude that quality healthcare should be withheld from prisoners therefore undermines the health of free citizens. This report offers recommendations for concrete and actionable strategies to curb the spread of TB both within and beyond prisons, while recognizing decarceration and drug policy reform as ultimately necessary to address these problems. Details: New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University, 2019. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://law.yale.edu/system/files/area/center/ghjp/documents/reservoirs_of_injustice-_how_incarceration_for_drug-related_offenses_fuels_the_spread_of_tb_in_brazil_ghjp_report_2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 156463 |
Author: Brazil. Presidential Office for Strategic Affairs Title: Custos Economicos da Criminalidade no Brasil (The Economic Costs of Crime in Brazil) Summary: Brazil is among the top 10% of countries with the highest homicide rates in the world - despite having a population equivalent to 3% of the world population, the country accounts for about 14% of all homicides in the world. Brazilian homicide rates are similar to those in Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, South Africa and Democratic Republic of the Congo. -There have been three distinct times in the number of homicides in Brazil in the last 20 years. In the first period, from 1996 to 2003, there was an increase, from 35 thousand to 48 thousand homicides per year. In the subsequent period, between 2003 and 2007, there was a 48 thousand to 44 thousand victims a year. Finally, as of 2008, there was a further increase in the number of victims, although at a slower pace than before 2003, reaching 54 thousand in 2015. -Homicide rates are highly heterogeneous in the country. Some microregions, especially that of Sao Paulo, which has the largest population, has homicide rates close to 10 per 100 thousand inhabitants. On the other hand, some North-Northeast, such as Belem, Salvador, Fortaleza and Sao Luis, as well as the micro-region of the Surroundings of the Federal District, have homicide rates above 50 per 100 thousand inhabitants, which would put them at levels of some of the world's most violent countries, such as Jamaica, Venezuela and Honduras. -The evolution in homicide rates in the last decade was also significantly heterogeneity, with a downward trend in homicide rates in the Southeast and increase in the North-Northeast. -It is estimated that, for each homicide of 13- to 25-year-olds, the present value of the loss of productive capacity is about 550 thousand reais. The cumulative loss of productive capacity resulting from homicides, between 1996 and 2015, surpassed 450 billion reais. -The economic costs of crime increased substantially between 1996 and 2015, from about 113 billion reais to 285 billion reais. This is equivalent to an average real increase of about 4.5% per year. By 2015, the components, in order of relevance were: public security (1.35% of GDP); private security (0.94% of GDP); insurance and material losses (0.8% of GDP); judicial costs (0.58% of the GDP); loss of productive capacity (0.40% of GDP); imprisonment (0.26% of GDP); costs of medical and therapeutic services (0.05% of GDP), reaching a total of 4.38% of national income. -The two decades between 1996-2015 were a period of sharp increase in spending the public sector, with a cumulative increase of about 170%. The costs of the private sector also had strong growth, although slightly lower, reaching 135% real increase in the period. -Despite these substantive real increases in public spending on security the social return of such an increase was limited. In the same period, the total number of of homicides in the country rose from 35 thousand to 54 thousand per year. -The economic costs of crime fall disproportionately Federal Units (UFs) that have lower income levels. Increases public expenditures for this area, therefore, would social resources for unproductive activities without tangible return on violence reduction. -In addition to having little return in relation to the increase in public spending, the the fiscal scenario has deteriorated since the beginning of the 2014-16 recession, limiting future increases. Between December 2013 and December 2016, 20 UFs had an increase in their level of indebtedness, with three states (RJ, RS and MG) beyond the legal limit. -Although there are cases of states with high homicide rates and greater fiscal space, Most FUs have limited fiscal space, which indicates that policy alternatives security can not simply be based on of public expenditure. -Prospectively, conditioned by Constitutional Amendment No. 95, the federal government should remain stable at real levels, and because of the limited in several UFs, it is unlikely that this scenario of growth in government revenues relative to GDP. -In a context of budget constraints, it is essential to future of public security policies by cost-benefit analyzes, prioritizing those that bring greater social return for each real invested. International and domestic experiences attest that the traditional model of semi-random patrolling, a rapid response to action calls, further investigations by the police force and law enforcement efforts without are not effective in reducing crime levels. -Increasing the efficiency of public security policies depends on the establishment of an evidence-based security policy - that is, the design of public policies based on state-of-the-art evidence what kinds of interventions work. In this way, the aggregation of data on the performance of security forces and the monitoring/the implementation of public policies, adapting them or discontinuing them when their efficacy is not observed. -This Conjuncture Report contains a list of the effectiveness of different interventions and recommendations based on empirical studies, meta-analyzes, and revisions of the scientific literature. Details: S.L.: Brazil's Presidency of the Republic, General Secretary, 2018. 76p. Source: Internet Resource (in Portuguese): Accessed June 17, 2019 at: http://www.secretariageral.gov.br/estrutura/secretaria_de_assuntos_estrategicos/publicacoes-e-analise/relatorio-de-conjuntura/custos_economicos_criminalidade_brasil.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 156474 |
Author: Hurel, Louise Marie Title: A Strategy for Cybersecurity Governance in Brazil Summary: This study explores the institutionalization of the cybersecurity agenda in Brazil and seeks to identify opportunities for multi-stakeholder cooperation. It analyzes the key moments and processes that marked the development of the country's current cybersecurity architecture, highlighting the tensions which arose with the introduction of the agenda as a national security priority. The description of the cybersecurity governance ecosystem in Brazil opens up new avenues for the identification of solid opportunities for cooperation between different sectors inherently involved in the construction of this agenda - as much in the technical field (cryptography and incident response) as in the elaboration of legislation, policies, and awareness campaigns. Details: Rio de Janeiro: IGARAPE INSTITUTE, 2018. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 30: accessed July 16, 2019 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/A-Strategy-for-Cybersecurity-Governance-in-Brazil.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Computer Crime Shelf Number: 156902 |
Author: Almeida, Lucas da Silva Title: Dark Networks and Corruption: Uncovering the Offshore Industry Summary: Among the many social structures that cause inequality, one of the most jarring is the use of loopholes to both launder money and evade taxation. Such resources fuel the "offshore finance" industry, multi-billion dollar sector catering to many of those needs. These run under the logic of "Dark Networks" avoiding detection and oversight as much as possible. While there are legitimate uses for offshore services, such as protecting assets from unlawful seizures, they are also well documented pipeline for money stemming from illegal activities. These constructs display a high amount of adaptiveness and resilience and the few studies done had to use incomplete information, mostly from local sources of criminal proceedings. This work is to analyze the network of offshore accounts leaked under the Panama Papers report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. This registers the activities of the Mossack Fonseca law firm in Panama, one of the largest in the world on the Offshore field. It spans over 50 years and provides us with one of the most complete overview thus far of how these activities are connected, the topology of such network and what it displays in resilience against attempts to target this scheme. Details: Sao Paulo: Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2018. 56p. Source: Internet Resource Master's Dissertation (in Portuguese): Accessed July 16, 2019 at: http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/100/100132/tde-09042018-210047/pt-br.php Year: 2018 Country: Brazil Keywords: Asset Seizure Shelf Number: 156805 |
Author: Borner, Jan Title: Post-Crackdown Effectiveness of Field-Based Law Enforcement in the Brazilian Amazon Summary: Abstract: Regulatory enforcement of forest conservation laws is often dismissed as an ineffective approach to reducing tropical forest loss. Yet, effective enforcement is often a precondition for alternative conservation measures, such as payments for environmental services, to achieve desired outcomes. Fair and efficient policies to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) will thus crucially depend on understanding the determinants and requirements of enforcement effectiveness. Among potential REDD candidate countries, Brazil is considered to possess the most advanced deforestation monitoring and enforcement infrastructure. This study explores a unique dataset of over 15 thousand point coordinates of enforcement missions in the Brazilian Amazon during 2009 and 2010, after major reductions of deforestation in the region. We study whether local deforestation patterns have been affected by field-based enforcement and to what extent these effects vary across administrative boundaries. Spatial matching and regression techniques are applied at different spatial resolutions. We find that field-based enforcement operations have not been universally effective in deterring deforestation during our observation period. Inspections have been most effective in reducing large-scale deforestation in the states of Mato Grosso and Para, where average conservation effects were 4.0 and 9.9 hectares per inspection, respectively. Despite regional and actor-specific heterogeneity in inspection effectiveness, field-based law enforcement is highly cost-effective on average and might be enhanced by closer collaboration between national and state-level authorities. Details: San Francisco, California: Pols One, 2015. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 11, 2019 at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0121544&type=printable Year: 2015 Country: Brazil Keywords: Deforestation Shelf Number: 156941 |
Author: Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada Title: Atlas da Violencia (Atlas of Violence) Summary: SUMMARY: 1. THE LETHAL VIOLENCE SETUP IN BRAZIL 1.1. Economic Costs of Violence; 2. HOMICIDE IN FEDERATIVE UNITS; 2.1. Comparison of health data and police records; 3. LOST YOUTH; 4. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN; 4.1. Evolution of homicides against women in the Federative Units; 4.2. Is there an increase in lethal violence against women or femicide?; 5. VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK; 6. VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBTI + POPULATION; 6.1 Dial 100; 6.2 Sinan; 7. THE PROFILE OF HOMICIDE IN BRAZIL; 8. FIREARMS; 8.1. An overview of the scientific literature on guns and crimes; 8.2. Some specific findings of the studies; 8.3. Why does gun diffusion increase public insecurity?; Causal Channels; 8.4. The escalation of armed violence in Brazil since 1980 and the brake on the increase in deaths imposed by the disarmament statute; 8.5. Evolution of armed violence in the Federative Units in the last decade; 9. VIOLENT DEATH WITH UNDERMINED CAUSE AND DATA QUALITY; 10. FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC SECURITY POLICIES AND FEDERATIVE MANAGEMENT; REFERENCES; APPENDICES Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada, 2019. 116p. Source: Internet Resource (in Portuguese): Accessed August 21, 2019 at: http://www.ipea.gov.br/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34784&Itemid=432 Year: 2019 Country: Brazil Keywords: Brazil Shelf Number: 157033 |