O trabalho da polícia investigativa face aos homicídios de jovens em Belo Horizonte / Investigative police work in relation to youth homicides in Belo Horizonte

Ao longo dos últimos 30 anos, o Brasil vem experimentando um aumento exponencial de suas taxas de homicídio, problema este impulsionado pelo morticínio de jovens do sexo masculino, não brancos, pobres, moradores de vilas e favelas. Diante do recrudescimento e da complexificação do fenômeno dos homicídios no Brasil, o presente artigo tem como objetivo discutir alguns dos principais efeitos que estas tendências projetam sobre o trabalho policial investigativo. Para tanto, realizou-se, entre os anos de 2009 e 2010, um longo trabalho de pesquisa etnográfica em seis Delegacias Especializadas de Homicídios da cidade de Belo Horizonte. Durante este período, pesquisadores vivenciaram a rotina diária destas unidades e realizaram diversas de entrevistas em profundidade com investigadores e delegados da Polícia Civil. Dentre os resultados destaca-se o descompasso entre a crescente complexidade do fenômeno criminal e as práticas e os procedimentos legais previstos para a investigação dos homicídios em BH.

Over the course of the past 30 years, Brazil has experienced an exponential increase in its homicide rates, which is a problem that has been aggravated by the slaughter of young nonwhite, poor, males living in the shantytowns and communities. Given the complexity and the resurgence of the homicide phenomenon in Brazil, this article seeks to discuss some of the main effects that these trends have had on investigative police work. For this purpose, a long process of ethnographic research in six Specialized Homicide Police Units of Belo Horizonte (BH) was conducted between the years 2009 and 2010. During this period, researchers accompanied the daily routine of these units and conducted several in-depth interviews with investigators and civil police chiefs. Among the results, the mismatch between the increasing complexity of the homicide phenomenon and the legal procedures established for investigating the problem in BH should be stressed.

Análise comparada do fluxo do sistema de justiça para o crime de estupro / Comparative analysis of court processing of rape cases

The current article is intended to demonstrate the advantages of prioritizing an analysis of court caseload processing for a given type of crime and proceeding to a comparison of the results obtained from empirical studies in different countries. The article draws on a study I performed on rape cases tried by the court system in Campinas, São Paulo State, and the study by Gary LaFree on rape cases in the United States, based on data in Indianapolis, Indiana. The comparative analysis of determinants of victims' and law enforcement agencies' decisions concerning the pursuit of legal action proved to be productive, even when comparing two different systems of justice. This allowed greater knowledge of how the Brazilian criminal justice system operates, both in its capacity to identify, try, and punish sex offenders, and in terms of the importance it ascribes to formal legal rules in trying rape cases, in comparison to the American criminal justice system.

Dans cet article, on cherche à montrer les avantages d'utiliser l'analyse de la marche de la production décisionnelle lorsqu'il s'agit de l'étude d'un crime donné ainsi que de comparer les résultats obtenus dans les recherches empiriques menées dans divers pays. On part donc ici de l'étude effectué sur la marche de la Justice Pénale concernant le crime de viol à Campinas (Brésil) ainsi que de l'étude de Gary LaFree sur la façon dont la Justice Pénale nord-américaine considère le viol, d'après des données obtenues à Indianopolis (USA). La comparaison entre les facteurs déterminant les décisions des victimes et les facteurs les opérant dans la poursuite de l'action judiciaire a fourni de bons résultats, malgré les différences entre ces deux systèmes. Elle a permis de mieux connaître le fonctionnement de la Justice Pénale brésilienne autant en ce qui concerne ses possibilités d'identifier, d´étudier et de punir les agressions sexuelles, que dans l'importance qu'elle attribue aux règles légales établies dans les procés de viol, par rapport à la Justice Pénale nord-américaine.