Banca de DEFESA: WESNER JOSE DA SILVA MENEZES

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : WESNER JOSE DA SILVA MENEZES
DATE: 13/06/2025
TIME: 10:00
LOCAL: meet.google.com/mqs-nqhv-bgc
TITLE:

EVIDENCE AND NARRATIVES: THE (PUBLIC) CRIMINAL DRUG POLICY IN RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

KEY WORDS:

Criminal policy; Drug policy; Criminal justice system; Discretionary power; Use of evidence.

PAGES: 119
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Ciência Política
SUBÁREA: Políticas Públicas
SUMMARY:

This study examines how evidence and narratives are employed in the adjudication of drug trafficking offenses in Rio Grande do Norte, analyzing drug criminal policy as a public policy implemented by various state actors. Against the backdrop of the National System of Public Policies on Drugs (Sisnad), established by Law 11,343/2006, the research explores the practices of police officers, investigators, prosecutors, and judges, who—endowed with "significant discretionary decision-making spaces" (Muniz, 1999)—utilize these elements in their decision-making routines. Through documentary analysis of criminal cases and observation of sentencing hearings in Natal/RN, the study reveals the centrality of police narratives and documentation in case processing, the ways discretion is exercised by different actors within the system, and a hierarchy of evidence that privileges certain types of proof over others. The findings shed light on the operational mechanisms of judicial bureaucracy and their implications for drug criminal policy, illustrating how legal actors' choices, shaped by their discretionary authority, influence the outcomes of drug policy and the criminal justice system. Thus, the study provides a critical understanding of the procedures and epistemologies behind the (mis)use of evidence and the discretionary power wielded by interdependent actors in criminal drug policy. By doing so, it seeks to uncover one facet of the bureaucratic logic governing the criminal justice system while offering insights for improving judicial and law enforcement practices within the context of Brazil’s drug policy.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1012850 - RODRIGO FIGUEIREDO SUASSUNA
Interno - 1014897 - CLAUDIO ROBERTO DE JESUS
Externo ao Programa - ***.846.637-** - VITTORIO DA GAMMA TALONE - UFRN
Externa à Instituição - MARIA GORETE MARQUES DE JESUS - UFSCAR