Public security in the dynamics of power and democratic erosion in Latin America

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18764/2178-2865v29n1.2025.14

Keywords:

Public security, democracy, autocratic legalism, Latin America, authoritarian policies

Abstract

The article explores the instrumentalization of public security as a mechanism of autocratization in Latin America, analyzing how urban violence, social inequality and corruption favor authoritarian practices and threaten democratic stability. Based on a literature review, it demonstrates how high rates of violence and crime contribute to the growing use of the rhetoric of insecurity by political actors to justify repression and militarization, weakening civil liberties and fundamental rights. It analyzes how insecurity has fueled popular discontent with democracy, creating conditions for the rise of leaders with authoritarian and autocratic characteristics. This study offers a critical analysis of the implications of these dynamics for democratic stability, relevant to the Latin American context and beyond.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Daniel Oscar Pereira Soares, Federal University of Amazonas

Lawyer. Master's student in Constitutionalism and Rights in the Amazon at the Federal University of Amazonas (2024). Agronomist. PhD in Tropical Agronomy from the Federal University of Amazonas. Sandwich Doctorate from the University of Massachusetts - UMass/Amherst (United States of America). Master's degree in Tropical Agronomy from the Federal University of Amazonas (2017). Graduated in Law with an Emphasis in Environmental Law from Faculdade Martha Falcão - Devry (2017). She has a Technical Degree in Agriculture from the Federal Institute of Amazonas (2009). Has experience in Agronomy, with an emphasis on Plant Health.

Rebeca Araújo da Silva, Federal University of Amazonas

Lawyer. Master's student in Law at the Federal University of Amazonas. Postgraduate scholarship from the Amazonas State Research Foundation (FAPEAM). Postgraduate student in Public Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul and specialist in Public Law at Pitágora Unopar Anhanguera University. Bachelor of Laws from the Amazonas State University. Active participant in extension projects, scientific initiation projects, national and international congresses and scientific annals during her undergraduate studies. Effective member of the Conflict Resolution Mechanisms Clinic at Amazonas State University (MARBIC/UEA) and voluntary participant in the Human Rights and Environmental Law Clinic at Amazonas State University. Volunteer in UEA's Scientific and Technological Initiation Program, 2019-2020 edition, and CNPQ scholarship holder in the Institutional Scientific Initiation Scholarship Program PIBIC/CNPq/UEA, 2021-2022 edition. Professional practice in the areas of Tax Law and Administrative Law.

Rafael da Silva Menezes, Federal University of Amazonas

Post-Doctorate in Democracy and Human Rights at the University of Coimbra (IGC/CDH). PhD in Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG - CAPES 7). Bachelor of Laws and Specialist in Civil Procedural Law from the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM). Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Amazonas (Undergraduate and Postgraduate). Coordinator of the Postgraduate Law Program (Master's Degree) and the Specialization Course in Civil Procedural Law at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM). Effective member of the Brazilian Association of Constitutional Procedural Law (ABDPC). Member of the International Association for Constitutional Law (IACL), Associate of the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S). Member of the Amazon Institute of Administrative Law (IADA). Legal Advisor to the Amazonas State Public Prosecutor's Office.

References

AMPARO, Thiago de Souza. Legalismo discriminatório. In: Oscar Vilhena Vieira, Raquel de Mattos Pimenta, Fabio de Sá e Silva e Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado. (Org.). Estado de direito e populismo autoritário: erosão e resistência institucional no Brasil (2018-22). São Paulo: FGV Editora, v. 1, p. 293-317, 2023.

ABSP. Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública / Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública. 18º Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública. São Paulo: Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública, 2024. Disponível em: https://forumseguranca.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/ 07/anuario-2024.pdf. Acesso em: 22 out. 2024.

BRITO, Adriane Sanctis de et al. O caminho da autocracia: estratégias atuais de erosão democrática. Tinta-da-China Brasil, 2023.

BUBEN, Radek; KOUBA, Karel. Democracy and Institutional Change in Times of Crises in Latin America. Journal of Politics in Latin America, v. 16, n. 1, p. 90-109, 2024.

CARDOSO, Paulo Roberto; CASTELANI, Alice; LIMA, Gustavo. Erosão democrática e militarização nos países ibero-americanos na última década. Revista Brasileira de Estudos de Defesa, v. 11, n. 2, p. 166-186, 2024.

CARVALHO, Vilobaldo Adelídio de; SILVA, Maria do Rosário de Fátima e. Política de segurança pública no Brasil: avanços, limites e desafios. Revista Katálysis, Florianópolis, v. 14, n. 1, p. 59-67, 2011.

CASTRO, Manuela. Milei busca ampliar participação das Forças Armadas na luta contra crime organizado. CNN Brasil, 2024. Disponível em: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/ internacional/milei-busca-ampliar-participacao-das-forcas-armadas-na-luta-contra-crime-organizado/. Acesso em: 22 out. 2024.

CCSPJP. Consejo Ciudadano para la Seguridad Pública y Justicia Penal. Ranking 2023 de las 50 ciudades mas violentas del mundo. Disponível em: https://geoenlace.net/seguridad justiciaypaz/archivo/62fc76_9c69629705.pdf. Acesso em: 22 out. 2024.

COPPEDGE M. et al. V-Dem Country–Year Dataset v12. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project and Freedom House: “Aggregate Category and Subcategory Scores, 2003–2022”. 2022. Disponível em: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/Aggregate_ Category_ and_ Subcategory_Scores_FIW_2003-2022.xlsx. Acesso em: 01 de outubro de 2024.

DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration. National Drug Threat Assessment 2024. Disponível em: https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/2024%20NDTA-updated%207.5.2024.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

ESPINOZA, Fran; CRUZ SILVA, Thyerrí José. Novo autoritarismo, políticas de segurança pública e direitos humanos em El Salvador (2019-2023). Revista Jurídica Unicuritiba, v. 2, n. 78, 2024.

FONSECA, Pedro Moreira da; COSTA, Andressa Liegi Vieira. A democracia sob pressão: crise e sequência de autocratização no Brasil. Revista Debates, v. 17, p. 11-40, 2023.

GALLUP. 2024. The Global Safety Report Measuring Personal Security Worldwide. Disponível em: https://insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Gallup_Global-Safety-Report-2024.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

HRW. Human Rights Watch. 34th annual World Report – 2024 – Events of 2023. Disponível em: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2024/01/World%20Report% 202024%20LOWRES%20WEBSPREADS_0.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

INE. Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas. Gobierno de Chile. Encuesta Nacional Urbana de Seguridad Ciudadana – ENUSC 2023. Disponível em: https://www.ine.gob.cl/docs/default-source/seguridad-ciudadana/publicaciones-y-anuarios/2023/nacional/síntesis-enusc-2023.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

INEGI. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Encuesta Nacional de Seguridad Pública Urbana ENSU - Tercer trimestre 2024. Disponível em: https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/programas/ensu/doc/ensu2024_septiembre_presentacion_ejecutiva.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

IREE. Instituto para Reforma das Relações entre Estado e Empresa. Avaliação da Segurança Pública no Brasil e Opinião sobre a PEC da Segurança - Outubro 2024. Disponível em: https://iree.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/PESQUISA-IREE-PEC-SEGURANCA-OUT2024.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

LÜHRMANN, Anna. Disrupting the autocratization sequence: towards democratic resilience. Democratization, v. 28, n. 5, p. 1017-1039, 2021.

MAINWARING, Scott; PÉREZ-LIÑÁN, Aníbal. Why Latin America’s Democracies Are Stuck. Journal of Democracy, v. 34, n- 1, p. 156–70, 2023.

MUNIZ, Jacqueline de Oliveira; CECCHETTO, Fátima Regina. Insegurança pública: exceção como rotina, excepcionalidade como o normal no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, v. 26, n. 10, p. 4635-4644, 2021.

MUSSOI, H. G.; DE QUADROS, D. G. Erosão democrática e legalismo autocrático:: o caso dos conselhos gestores no governo bolsonaro. Revista Estudos Institucionais, v. 8(3), p. 582- 606, 2022.

OLIVEIRA, Lívio Silva de; CÂMARA, Gabriel Guerra; FERRARI, Geverson. Segurança pública e democracia: fatores históricos e sociológicos da dinâmica jurídica e judicial no Brasil. Revista Alamedas, v. 5, n. 1, 2017.

PAIXÃO, Mayara. Eleições no Uruguai - Violência e narcotráfico preocupam Uruguai e viram tema nas urnas. Folha de S. Paulo, 26 out. 2024. Disponível em: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2024/10/violencia-e-narcotrafico-preocupam-uruguai-e-viram-tema-nas-urnas.shtml. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

ROMERO, Adrián. Elecciones en México La seguridad en México, el gran reto sin resolver que se resiste a sus dirigentes. RTVE, 31 mai. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20240529/elecciones-mexico-2024-seguridad-gran-reto-sin-resolver/16098676.shtml. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

UNODC. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2023. Global study on homicide 2023. Disponível em: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/2023/ Global_study_on_homicide_2023_web.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

UNODC. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2024. DataUNODC - Victims of intentional homicide. Disponível em: https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-intentional-homicide-victims. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

UNODC. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2024. World Drug Report 2024. Disponível em: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2024.html. Acesso em: 20 out. 2024.

V-DEM INSTITUTE. 2021. Democracy Report 2021 - A Autocratization Turns Viral. Disponível em: https://www.v-dem.net/documents/12/dr_2021.pdf. Acesso em: 01 de outubro de 2024.

V-DEM INSTITUTE. 2024. Relatório da Democracia 2024 - A Democracia a Ganhar e a Perder nas Urnas. Disponível em: https://www.v-dem.net/documents/51/v-dem_dr_2024_portuguese_lowres_v2.pdf. Acesso em: 01 de outubro de 2024.

VIEIRA, Oscar Vilhena; GLEZER, Rubens Glezer; BARBOSA, Ana Laura. Infralegalismo autoritário: a estratégia do Governo Bolsonaro para implementar sua agenda iliberal sem apoio no legislativo. In: Oscar Vilhena Vieira, Raquel de Mattos Pimenta, Fabio de Sá e Silva e Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado. (Org.). Estado de direito e populismo autoritário: erosão e resistência institucional no Brasil (2018-22). São Paulo: FGV Editora, v. 1, p. 293-317, 2023.

Published

2025-06-12

How to Cite

SOARES, Daniel Oscar Pereira; SILVA, Rebeca Araújo da; MENEZES, Rafael da Silva.
Public security in the dynamics of power and democratic erosion in Latin America
. Revista de Políticas Públicas, v. 29, n. 1, p. 258–274, 12 Jun. 2025 Disponível em: https://cajapio.ufma.br/index.php/rppublica/article/view/25035. Acesso em: 15 aug. 2025.