Only Cooperation Will Solve Security Crisis in Brazil, Says Justice Minister

The Brazilian Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, affirmed yesterday, May 18, that the security crisis that has taken hold of Brazil in the past week does not constitute a widely diffused phenomenon that government authorities seem impotent to handle.

"We are witnessing the end of an institutional cycle," the minister declared.

According to Bastos, "the country must reorganize all its republican institutions, specifically those institutions in charge of security and social control."

He pointed out that, when it took office in 2003, the current Administration presented a plan to ensure public safety and combat violence. The plan, which was drafted by the Citizenship Institute, is being implemented with adaptations to the reality of the country and course corrections.

The minister says that the objective is to build a unified Brazilian public safety system, directed and managed in an integrated manner in every state, with partnership and collaboration.

Bastos also informed that at the end of this year the Ministry of Justice will sponsor the 4th Strategy to Combat Money-Laundering. This is an annual meeting involving 30 federal government agencies, as well as municipal and state organs, to outline goals for the future. This year, too, the government will inaugurate four prisons, and another one is expected to start functioning early next year.

Bastos also said this morning (May 19) that public safety issues must be discussed objectively and that the debate cannot be transformed into an "electoral war" or "political dispute."

He participated in a seminar on judicial reform at the University of São Paulo (USP) Law School.

"What reduces crime is not the length of the sentence but the certainty of punishment. We are experiencing a crisis of violence, which is another reason that judicial reform is essential," he declared.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Beyond Reelection: Brazil’s Lula 2.0 Doesn’t Sound Too Promising

U.S.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) released Friday, September 22, its issue ...

Brazil’s Newest Congress Scandal, the Bloodsuckers, Involves Ambulances

Brazil’s Federal investigators and the police have unveiled a new scam involving members of ...

Skinhead Gang in Brazil Attacks Black and Almost Beats Policeman to Death

Another scene of violence shocked Brazil this past Sunday, June 8. A group of ...

US$ 11 Million in Donations Disappear from Brazil’s Red Cross Coffers

Millions of dollars earmarked for disaster relief operations are suspected of having been embezzled ...

Brazilian Youth Want Jobs and End to Violence

Around 30% of the Brazilian population is composed of youth between the ages of ...

Lula May Open Secret Files of Brazil’s Dirty War

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday his administration may open files ...

Marriott Brazil Wants Muslims to Feel at Home and Offers Mecca Compass

Eyeing Arab clients Marriott Brazil chain is offering in its luxury hotels exclusive services ...

Hollywood Gets a Taste of Brazil’s Folk Celebration, the Festa Junina

Forróçacana (pronounced Foh-haw-sacana) is one of the most important bands of Forró in Brazil.  ...

Brazil Is Falling Behind, But We Keep Talking About Our Progress

The end of the Second World War gave rise to the creation of several ...

All the Papers a Gringo Needs to Live in Brazil

Like many things in Brazil getting documents and checking accounts will depend on the ...