Brazil faces evolving public security and organized crime challenges

Discussions regarding public security and social violence in Brazil highlight shifting crime patterns and statistical complexities. While states like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which once accounted for 50% of the nation's homicides, now represent only 15%, violence remains a critical issue due to changing dynamics.

A significant challenge in tracking violence is the high number of violent deaths with undetermined intent (MVCIs). In 2023, over 12,000 deaths were classified under codes where the cause—whether accident, suicide, or homicide—could not be established, particularly involving firearms and blunt objects.

Experts at the USP Pensa Brasil event noted that criminality has evolved from traditional robberies and homicides to include digital fraud and the expansion of organized crime. Criminal factions and militias increasingly control peripheral territories, while police violence continues to disproportionately affect young, Black, and impoverished populations in these areas.