Brazil security amendments misaligned with violence rates

A study by the Chamber of Deputies Budget Consultancy reveals that parliamentary amendments for public security in Brazil are not being directed toward municipalities with high violence rates. Between 2022 and 2026, nearly 100% of municipalities with violence levels above the state average did not receive these specific resources.

Analysts utilized two metrics: the Municipal Violence Index (IVM), measuring violence per 100,000 inhabitants, and the Allocation Adequacy Index (IAA), which compares a municipality's share of amendments to its share of state violence. While total security amendments grew by 96% between 2022 and 2024—rising from R$ 346 million to R$ 672 million—the distribution failed to align with actual needs. Rio Grande do Norte and Mato Grosso recorded the lowest adequacy indices.

In one notable instance, the municipality of São Caetano do Sul in São Paulo received R$ 226.4 million in 2025, representing 37.3% of the entire national budget for such amendments. Additionally, the study noted that while the Executive Branch met minimum payment requirements for amendments in the first half of 2026, the execution rate of these funds exceeded other discretionary expenses, creating potential incompatibility with Supreme Federal Court (STF) regulations.