Brazil Crime Statistics - Essay Example

Brazil: Crime Statistics How many crimes go unsolved? One study of police crimes against civilians in the Northeast, between 1970 and 1991, found that only 8 percent of the cases resulted in convictions (U.S. Department of State, 1994, n.p.).A separate study in Sao Paulo found that only 5 percent of similar crimes resulted in convictions (Library of Congress, 1997, n.p.).What are the worst crimes committed? In terms of severity of crimes, the list in Brazil reflects that of its status as the second-largest consumer of Cocaine in the world; drug possession, trafficking, weapons, and violence (CIA, 2009, n.p.).

Brazil is in the top ten countries of the world for per capita murders committed by youth, prisoners incarcerated for violent crimes, and has the highest incidence of violence committed by youth:Murders committed by youth: 20,386Prisoners: 308,304Software Piracy Rate: 59%(NationMaster, 2009, n.p.) The murder rates in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are 40 and 35 per 100,000 citizens respectively (Brazil Group, 2008, n.p.).What are police doing about the crime? The way the government of Brazil addresses crime is complicated.

As a result of the high violence levels and the public’s anti-crime sentiment, even human rights groups are reluctant to intervene (Cavellaro, 2001, p. 7).Another social issue is that the poor are often perceived as the criminal element in Brazil, regardless of their guilt (Carvalho & Calda, 2002, p. 2).How often does corruption take place in Brazil?Authorities took care to call [a recent occurrence at the Ministry of Health] an example of "endemic" corruption…but such a classification is deceiving.

What we call endemic are diseases which are characteristic of particular regions, the result of particular geographic circumstances. [Brazil’s] corruption is organic, circulatory, [and] systemic (Dines, 2004, n.p.). Police in Brazil have a well-deserved reputation for taking bribes, giving drug smugglers extra leniency in law enforcement, and “looking the other way” unless the criminal is poor (Schneider, 1991, p. 215).The lack of an independent media is one of the factors that most contributes to the general perception that Brazil is a country with a high level of corruption.

In June 2003, Otto Reich, the White Houses main aide for Latin American affairs, made this comment to a hundred or so businessmen at a seminar on investments in the region: "We have had many setbacks…corruption is the most important obstacle to economic development….Investors do not want to put their money into a country where there are corrupt civil servants” (Rodriques, 2004, n.p.)ReferencesBrazil Group. (2008). Brazil’s battle with Gang Violence and Police Corruption. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://pila2008.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/ brazil%E2%80%99s-battle-with-gang-violence-and-police-corruption/Cavallaro, J. (2001). Human Rights and the Proliferation of Crime: The Perception of Human Rights and Its Effects on Rights Defense in Brazil, presented at Focus Meeting on Crime, Public Order and Human Rights.

Geneva: Focus Carvalho, S. & Calda, A. (2002). Crime and Human Rights in Brazil, presented at Crime: Managing Public Order in Countries in Transition Conference. New York: ICHRP Central Intelligence Agency. (2009). World Factbook – Brazil. Retrieved April 24, 2009, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook /geos/br.html#IntroDines, A. (2004). Brazil: Corruption Here is Cancer. Retrieved April 22, 2009 from: http://www.brazzil.com/index.php?option=com_content&task= view&id=1921&Itemid=27Library of Congress. (1997). Brazil Crime.

Washington, DC: USGPONationMaster.com. (2009) South America: Brazil – Crime. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from: http://www.nationmaster.com/country/br-brazil/cri-crimeRodriques, F. (2004). Brazil: Corruption Notebook. Global Integrity Report. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://www.globalintegrity.org/reports/ 2004/2004/country219b.html?cc=br&act=notebookSchneider, R.M. (1991) Order and Progress: A Political History of Brazil. Boulder, CO: Westview PressUnited States Department of State. (1994).

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. Washington, DC: USGPO