Criminality, Public Security, and the Challenge to Democracy in Latin America

Chapter One: Regional Homicide Patterns in Brazil

c ha p t e r o n e Regional Homicide Patterns in Brazil cl au dio chaves beato & frederico cou to marinho Brazil is one of the most violent countries in all of Latin America; indeed, it is one of the most violent countries in one of the most violent regions in the world. This is undoubtedly a key challenge for Brazilian development because it has a direct impact on economic and political life, contributes to the deterioration of and limits access to public health and education services, and greatly reduces employment opportunities for those living in high-risk areas. One of the most noxious effects of violence is that the climate of fear and distrust it generates limits people’s freedom, restricting mobility in certain urban areas, rendering ineffective self and external policing mechanisms. And the effect on family life is devastating: violence has led to the breakdown of thousands of homes. 27 28 Claudio Chaves Beato & Frederico Couto Marinho This chapter looks at homicide in Brazil, using accumulated data covering large areas and population. Various studies have attempted to explain why rates of violent crime vary between cities, metropolitan areas, or states, and have correlated such variations with social, demographic, and economic variables.1 A study of homicide in the U.S., for instance, lists the following factors, starting with the most important: high economic disparities or inequality, population structures and density (the larger areas with the densest population have the highest homicide rates), and high unemployment rates.2 Various authors have tested the idea that socioeconomic inequality in specific areas, regions, and cities helps to explain the distribution of homicide rates in Brazil. They have pointed to the relevance of economic cycles,3 poverty,4 and income and other economic variables related to inequality or investment in public safety at the city level.5 The central role of firearms in violence in Brazil is alarming. According to international comparisons of firearm deaths undertaken by the World Health Organization, which take total population into account,6 out of twenty-two ranked countries Brazil comes second in the number of homicides caused by firearms and first in juvenile firearm deaths. International data indicate not only the extremely high level of lethal violence in Brazil (over 70 percent of homicides were committed with firearms , as compared with around 10 percent for the other countries in the group), but also the predominance of the use of firearms in the resolution of conflicts. Research and studies about the regional determinants of firearm deaths allow us to understand better the demand for and potential benefits of national and regional policies to control firearms and ammunition effectively, and to reduce legal and black market supply and demand. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to look at the incidence of homicides committed with firearms and to examine the extent to which regional variations can explain variations in the homicide rate. For the period 1980–2000, the relevant regional variations include cultural traits and patterns of conflict and control specific to each region. However, rather than using the “subcultures of violence” argument,7 the chapter looks at theories of social disorganization and control.8 One can analyze regions with historically high rates of firearm homicides in light of social disorganization resulting from land disputes where there are no formal con- Regional Homicide Patterns in Brazil 29 trol mechanisms. In such contexts, the resolution of conflicts through honor and traditional social behavior patterns replace formal and informal control mechanisms.9 Curiously, these patterns emerge also in metropolitan areas, particularly those dominated by armed groups that are fighting for territorial control of urban centers. Looking at rates of homicide is, then, a way of understanding the diversity of experiences in Brazil. We have yet to take into account the level of diversity of experiences within large urban centers. The phenomenon most closely associated with the rise of homicides in Brazil is urbanization. Strictly speaking, it can be said that, as in other countries, violent crime is an urban phenomenon associated with processes of disorganization and the deterioration of control mechanisms in Brazilian urban centers.10 There are various competing theories about the links between homicide and urban dynamics. One pioneering theory proposed by the Chicago School is the so-called social disorganization theory. It analyses different territories within cities and the association between social disorganization and violence, transition zones and criminality , and urban violence...