"NOVO CANGAÇO" AND THE ORGANIZED-CRIME-FIGHTING POLICY IN THE STATE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BRAZIL: AN ANALYSIS OF DECISION-MAKING ACTIONS BY PUBLIC AGENTS
Organized crime; novo cangaçonew shit; criminal justice system; Rio Grande do Norte; decision making.
There are countless cities in Brazil that have already experienced some type of criminal action related to the actions of what, in police and media rhetoric, has been labeled “novo cangaçois called “new bandit”. Heavily armed groups siegeinvade cities, especially medium and small ones, with the aim of stealing valuables and goods from financial institutions and similar establishments, using a “modus operandi” that makes the event a landmark for localsthose who live in that particular place. As in all of Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Norte has experienced, since the beginning of the last decade, a strong presence of the new cangaço in events involving break-ins, looting and robberies at financial institutions and/or accredited agencies in several cities, such as the case of Lajes, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará-Mirim, among others. In recent years, the state level governmentPublic Power, especially the police forces, the public prosecution officePublic Ministry and bodies of the justice system organizations in general have carried out arrests, task forces, operations, seizures of illicit materials, creation of branches targeted on Prosecutor's Offices and Courtsfo specializing in organized crimecrime organized, in addition to investigative and procedural measures aimed at dismantling and punishing these groups. In this context, this research's main objective is to analyze the actions taken by state crime control agencies in the face of changes and transformations arising from the dynamics of the “new cangaço”. It is intended, as a development of the general objective, to understand and reflect on the decision-making process of the actions developed in the state of RN, from this perspective. This research will also seek to evaluate how the criminal analysis of this phenomenon was carried out, understanding how state agencies carried out this analysis and how it influenced decision-making, resource allocation and (re)formulation of public policies. Based on these objectives, the study aims to answer the following question: how do state crime control institutions, within the state of Rio Grande do Norte, perceive the changes in the dynamics of crime arising from the actions of the new cangaço and what actions, strategies, were investments and decisions made to mitigate the crimes committed by these groups? From a methodological perspective, this research resources to semi-structuredwill use interviews - semi-structured - as the main data collection technique. State agents who deal with crime control will be interviewed, especially organized crime, an analytical category in which it is possible to include the “new cangaçobandit”. FinallyIn the end, it is intended to highlight how crime control agentsagencies in the state of RN responded have behaved in relation to the actions undertaken by the new cangaço, whether these groups demanded from these agencies any change in routine, adoption of new strategies, reallocation of resources, in addition to to studyinvestigate its influence on decision-making by the criminal justice system.