Police legitimacy: criminal policy beyond deterrence

• Autor(a) principal: Zanetic, André
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Manso, Bruno Paes, Natal, Ariadne Lima, Oliveira, Thiago Rodrigues
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais (Porto Alegre. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/index.php/civitas/article/view/24183
• topic: Police legitimacy. Deterrence theory. Procedural justice. Criminal policies.; Legitimidade da polícia. Teoria da dissuasão. Justeza procedimental. Políticas públicas de segurança.; Segurança pública e reforma das polícias na América Latina

Criminal policies in Brazil are premised by the deterrence theory model, which is based on measures such as heavy-handed policing, the growth of social  control and surveillance mechanisms, and the increasing number of arrests by police officers. International literature, however, have demonstrated how a police organization which targets normative instead of instrumental compliance is more effective and less expensive. This paper aims at discussing the theoretical relevance of legitimacy and procedural justice theory for the current debate on police reform in Brazil. It also aims at pointing how the lack of studies concerning the effects of criminal policies implemented in this country have allowed deterrence-based strategies to prosper despite the doubtful results on criminal behavior control. We indicate how this research agenda might contribute to the discussion on police reform in Brazil and in Latin America.