NCJ Number
160324
Journal
Dialectical Anthropology Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: (1995) Pages: 95-108
Date Published
1995
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The increase in violent crime and the involvement of youthful offenders in Brazil during the last decade have resulted not only from the drug trade but also from the repressive drug policies that have ended democratic institutions and possibilities.
Abstract
Until the late 1970's, drug trafficking was not a major social problem in Brazil. Then, the Colombian cartels and the Italian-American Mafia began using Brazil as a route for cocaine shipments to Europe and the United States. As a result, Brazilian cities and towns became new consumer markets. During the 1980's new market strategies developed to change drug use from a focus on marijuana to the use of cocaine. Cocaine has become an enormous source of quick profits and violence. Data on violent crimes during the past few years suggest a link between increasing drug use, the increase in violent crime rates, and the repressive policies in which police corruption thrives. Gun possession has made youthful drug traffickers powerful. The government's repressive measures have made police powerful decisionmakers who decide who will be indicted and tried for drug use or trafficking. The government's policies have apparently not deterred the drug cartels; the increases in violent crime not threaten the democratic government itself. In large cities, increasing fear of crime has led to changes in residential security, the nature of neighborhood associations, and attitudes toward politics and religion. 27 references