Letícia Godinho de Souza

Reflexões sobre a atuação governamental na promoção da segurança pública

IIn the early 2000s, Belo Horizonte suffered a sharp increase in crime. Between 1997 and 2003, there was a growth of 300% in violent crimes against property, and 250% in homicides. The main measures to combat the problem began in 2003, and were, according to the literature, actions that initiatives of the state government. This article explores the academic discussion that indicates the different mechanisms for crime reduction in the period, 2003 - 2010. There is consensus that the state government is the main actor in this process; on the other hand, we have identified different assumptions about actions that have brought about this reduction. Our goal was to identify the different hypotheses as well as critically examine the academic literature, so as to

A justiça informal em linha de montagem Estudo de caso da dinâmica de atuação do JECrim de Belo Horizonte

In this article we analyze the innovation provided by the Juizado Especial Criminal (JECrim) within the Criminal Justice System in Brazil, as well as its effective operation – its practices and procedures – and the main characteristics of its discharge proceedings, based on the findings of the research on JECrim of Belo Horizonte/MG. This article consolidates the results of a set of both qualitative and quantitative research on this Judicial Institution, through the analysis of attitudes, values and beliefs of its members, as well as a systematic survey of the judicial flow of cases sentenced. The results point to the questioning of JECrim/BH as a relevant instance to resolve conflicts in Belo Horizonte, due to the long average time for the solution procedure of a typical case, given the strong bureaucracy implemented by the court as well as the prevalence of an overly formalistic legal culture along with their institutional actors.