Police Brutality in Brazil

Abstract

Police brutality is part of Latin American social history, not merely a consequence of the “authoritarian legacy” of military regimes. Violent police practices persist because of the weakness of institutional mechanisms for controlling police activity. This can be seen by analyzing some of the police control mechanisms present in Rio de Janeiro, including legislation, standards of conduct, policing strategies, mechanisms of internal and external control, and the judiciary. The efficacy of these control mechanisms is tied to the pattern of relationship that exists between the state (and police) and society. The introduction of new control mechanisms or the improvement of existing ones would mean a recalibration of this relationship.