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Decision-making in an inquisitorial system: Lessons from Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Ludmila Ribeiro Open the ORCID record for Ludmila Ribeiro [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexandre M. A. Diniz Open the ORCID record for Alexandre M. A. Diniz [Opens in a new window]  and
Lívia Bastos Lages Open the ORCID record for Lívia Bastos Lages [Opens in a new window]
Ludmila Ribeiro*
Affiliation:
1Center for Crime and Public Safety Studies (CRISP), Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Alexandre M. A. Diniz
Affiliation:
2Geography Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Lívia Bastos Lages
Affiliation:
1Center for Crime and Public Safety Studies (CRISP), Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
*
Ludmila Ribeiro, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) - Center for Crime and Public Safety Studies (CRISP) - Unidade Administrativa III (UFMG), Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos, no 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Email: lmlr@ufmg.br
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Abstract

This paper seeks to understand how decision-making works at the first appearance hearings (Custody Hearings) in Brazil, an initiative that intends to make the Brazilian criminal justice system more accusatorial. We used primary data gathered in the hearings between April and December 2018 in nine Brazilian states. Binary logistic regression models were applied to identify the variables that affect the odds ratios of pretrial detention. Results indicated a high level of homology between the prosecutors' requests and the judges' decisions, even when controlling for the characteristics of offense and offender, which precludes any direct openness to the defense. Decision-making in the Custody Hearing reinforces the inquisitorial characteristics and the institutional features of the Brazilian Criminal Justice System, suggesting that the reforms carried out over the last years were not able to change how actors operate on a daily basis.

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ARTICLES
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 56 , Issue 1 , March 2022 , pp. 101 - 121
Copyright
© 2022 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

How to cite this article: Ribeiro, Ludmila, Alexandre M. A. Diniz, and Lívia Bastos Lages. 2022. “Decision-Making in an Inquisitorial System: Lessons from Brazil.” Law & Society Review 56(1): 101-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12591

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