RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian criminal justice is one of the worst globally: in the ranking of the “World Justice Project: Rule of Law Index 2021”, Brazil occupies the 112th position worldwide, among 139 countries evaluated.
Among the measures used in the research are the effectiveness of investigations, the reasonable length of proceedings, the capacity for crime prevention, the impartiality of the justice system, the absence of corruption, and respect for due legal process.
Brazil was below average even within Latin America, occupying the 20th position among 32 countries.
In the measure “effectiveness and reasonable length of the process”, Brazil is ranked 133 (out of 139), ahead only of Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela. In first place is Norway, followed by Finland, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, and Germany. The USA is in position 30, while China is in 69th position.
In the “impartiality” measure of the criminal justice system, which analyzes discriminatory practices and selectivity of the system, Brazil is in second last place, second only to Venezuela.
In the effectiveness of the penitentiary system in reducing crime and recidivism and respecting the rights of prisoners, Brazil ranked 131st in this category, with Norway coming first.
The quality of investigations in Brazil is also low, and the country ranks 117th.
The Brazilian position improves when it is evaluated if police officers, prosecutors, and judges are corrupt: the country is in 66th place.
As for the political independence of the criminal system, Brazil is in 50th place. However, it is in 119th place when it comes to respecting the rights of the accused, such as the presumption of innocence.
The Netherlands-based World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, multidisciplinary organization that works to generate knowledge and awareness about the importance of due legal process worldwide.
The “Rule of Law Index” measures how due legal process is practiced in 139 countries and has eight indicators.