Sobrecarga do sistema de investigação e esclarecimento de homicídios no Brasil.

Abstract

Little is known about the results of homicide investigations in Brazil. Research in this regard points to a scenario of inefficiency in the investigation process. According to the Sou da Paz Institute (2022), the national average homicide clearance rate was 37% in 2019, demonstrating a significant variation in performance among states. Some states showed high performance, such as Rondônia, which cleared 90% of cases, while others showed low rates, such as Rio de Janeiro, which cleared only 16%. Thus, the present study aims to answer the following question: what explains this variation in states' performance in clearing homicides? To address this issue, the general objective of the research emerges: to investigate which factors are related to the variation in states' performance in clearing homicides. A quantitative methodology was adopted, with descriptive analysis based on secondary data and inferential analysis, having the homicide clearance rate as the dependent variable and institutional and socioeconomic factors as independent variables. We tested two hypotheses: the first, of institutional nature, evaluated the impact of the volume of homicide cases affecting the investigation system, thus affecting its effectiveness; the second suggests that socioeconomic factors influence homicide clearance. The results showed that performance in clearing homicides decreased as the volume of cases increased. Additionally, states with more favorable socioeconomic indicators showed better homicide clearance rates.