Homicide in São Paulo

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. Theory and Methodology—Killers that Evaluate and Act Depending on Context

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 1-12

3. Characteristics of Homicides in SP

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 13-25

4. The Beginning of the Increase in Homicides

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 27-43

5. Homicidal Military Police

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 45-65

6. Vigilantes—Homicides and Neighborhood Control

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 67-90

7. The Multiplier Effect of Homicides

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 91-95

8. Interpersonal Homicides Among Youths in Poor Neighborhoods

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 97-105

9. The Structure of Crime in São Paulo

   • Bruno Paes Manso

   Pages 107-111

10. Firearms and the Intent to Kill

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 113-116

11. Moral Cynicism and Vicious Circles

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 117-141

12. Crack, Chaos, and Massacres

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 143-149

13. The Reduction in Homicides

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 151-159

14. Public Policies and Informal Controls Within Prisons

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 161-169

15. The Primeiro Comando da Capital as the Outcome of Disorder and Mass Incarceration

    • Bruno Paes Manso

    Pages 171-179

16. Back Matter

    Pages 181-189

    PDF

This volume aims to explain the mechanisms for the “epidemic-like” rise in homicide rates São Paulo, Brazil during the late 20th century as well as their sharp decrease after 2000. The homicide rates increased 900 percent from 1960s-2000, and then dropped relatively quickly to 1970s levels over the next decade. While the author finds the Brazilian military government and rise of para-military police forces to be a major factor in the rise of homicide rates in Brazil, research on violent crime trends has demonstrated that it is generally due to the intersection of many factors (for example changes in policing, social or political structures, availability of weapons, economic influences) rather than a single cause. This work integrates individual, neighborhood, and structural dynamics at play in both the rise and drop in homicide rates, and provides a framework for understanding similar phenomena in other regions, particularly in the developing world. 

This book will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, as well as political science, and international relations, particularly with an interest in South America. The methodology includes both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

• Brazilian Military Government
• Governance in Brazil
• Homicide Rates in Sao Paolo
• Homicide Research
• Homicide Trends
• Violent Offending

“Homicide in São Paulo: An Examination of Trends from 1960- 2010 is an excellent supplement to the existing academic resources on the 60-year examination of the rise and fall of the homicide rate in São Paulo. Manso’s work contributes to the existing studies by using interviews of killers to explore the changing social nature of homicide. The book is most likely to appeal to political scientists, criminologists, sociologists and academics in Latin American studies.” (Kimberly M. Pitts, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, clcjbooks.rutgers.edu, May, 2017)

• Caribe Royale Orlando, Brazil

  Bruno Paes Manso

Bruno Paes Manso, has an Economics degree (University of São Paulo, Brazil) and journalism (PUC-SP). He worked for ten years as a reporter for the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo. He also served in Veja magazine, Folha da Tarde and Folha de S. Paulo. His is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of Violence at USP. He completed his master's degree and doctorate in the department of political science at the University of São Paulo, where he researched the rise and fall of homicides in São Paulo. He is the author of the book The X Man - A story about the soul of the killer SP which won the Premio Vladimir Herzog best book report 2006.

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