Recent Crime Trends in Brazil: Possible Causes and Policy Solutions

May 1, 2009 - 4:00 pm

Corinne Davis Rodrigues, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Moderator:
Desmond Arias, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

This talk aims to discuss some of the recent developments in crime and violence in Brazil. The talk is divided in three parts. In the first part of the talk, the speaker will present recent data on crime in Brazil, examining trends in type of crimes and location of incidents. Secondly, she will discuss some of the possible explanations for these recent trends in crime, both those put forth by Brazilian scholars as well as the applicability of US-developed crime theories. Finally, she will discuss some of the policy solutions currently in place to deal with crime in Brazil and their effectiveness.

About the Speaker:
Corinne Davis Rodrigues is an Associate Professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She is director of the Center for Urban Studies (CEURB) and an Associate Researcher at the Center for Studies in Criminality and Public Safety (CRISP). She conducts research in the area comparative criminology, with emphasis on understanding the relationship between crime, urban space and social control in the Brazilian and US contexts. Currently, she is involved in research that examines the relationship between social and spatial segregation, citizenship and crime. She has published articles in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and Latin American Politics and Society.