BRAZIL · SECURITY
Key Facts
- What it is A constitutional amendment, PEC 18/2025, that writes a national security network into Brazil’s Constitution.
- Vote Senate approved it on 3 November: 73 to 0, then 75 to 0.
- Main changes Tougher terms for gang leaders, protected security funds, federal police powers and optional city police.
- Left out Any cut in the age of criminal responsibility, which stays at 18.
- Next step Promulgation by Congress, with no date announced yet.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
The security amendment explained in one line: Brazil’s PEC da Segurança writes a national police-cooperation system and a fight against organized crime into the Constitution. The Senate passed it on Tuesday 3 November 2026, and only promulgation remains.
It matters for US readers because it reshapes how Latin America’s largest country fights gangs that operate across borders. It also opens the way to a new federal ministry that President Lula has promised.
The Security Amendment Explained in Brief
A PEC is a proposed constitutional amendment, and this one is numbered PEC 18/2025. President Lula’s government sent it to Congress, and the Chamber of Deputies approved it before the Senate took it up.
The text has two aims: to coordinate federal, state and city forces, and to hit organized crime harder. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security calls it the second half of a plan whose first half is the anti-faction law.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Susp is the Unified Public Security System, a national network that links federal, state and city agencies. Until now it existed only in ordinary law, and the amendment gives it constitutional standing.
The Federal Police is Brazil’s national investigative force, similar to the FBI. The Federal Highway Police patrols federal roads, and state military police handle most street patrols.
What Changes for Police and Cities
The Federal Police takes a wider role against organized crime and environmental crime. The Federal Highway Police can now patrol federal railways and waterways, not only roads.
Cities may create their own civil municipal police for visible, community-style patrols. They must meet rules on training, funding and accreditation, and the public prosecutors’ office oversees them from outside.
What Changes for Gangs and Prisons
Leaders and members of factions, militias and paramilitary groups face punishment scaled to their rank in the group. They must serve sentences in maximum-security units, with limits on moving to milder prison regimes.
Assets tied to these groups can be confiscated, and companies that work with them can be held liable. The text also widens protection for informants and their families, and strengthens victims’ rights, with special attention to women.
Where the Money Comes From
The amendment shields three funds from being frozen or diverted: the National Public Security Fund, the National Penitentiary Fund and the Federal Police fund. Justice and Public Security Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva said, in Portuguese, that organized crime does not freeze its own budget.
It also directs 10 percent of the annual surplus of the Social Fund, an oil-revenue savings fund, to the security sector. During the debate, Senator Zenaide argued that cities need permanent resources to carry out the new duties.
The Criminal Age Fight Left Outside
Opposition leader Rogério Marinho and Workers’ Party leader Camilo Santana had filed amendments to lower the age of criminal responsibility. Senators voted 38 to 36 to split those proposals from the text.
The reason was timing, since any change would have sent the amendment back to the Chamber. Our report that the Senate now waits for the Chamber of Deputies on a criminal age cut explains what happens next.
A New Ministry May Follow
Lula has said he will create a Ministry of Public Security once the amendment is approved. Our earlier report explains how Lula plans a Ministry of Public Security in the next term.
No date or structure for the ministry has been confirmed by the government. The Senate passed the amendment 75 to 0, which removes the condition Lula attached.
What It Means for You
Visitors and investors face no new rule today, because the text still needs promulgation and then laws to apply it. Over time, tougher penalties and protected budgets are meant to weaken the gangs that affect shipping, ports and cities.
For US readers, the amendment is Brazil’s answer to criminal groups that Washington follows closely. It also tests whether Brazil’s divided Congress can agree on crime policy, as the open fight over the criminal age shows.
What Is Not Known
The date of promulgation has not been announced. Congress performs it, and Senate president Davi Alcolumbre will preside over the act.
It is not known how fast cities will set up municipal police, or how much money the protected funds will receive each year. Details on the new ministry, and on the separate fight over the criminal age, are still open.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PEC da Segurança in simple terms?
It is a constitutional amendment that builds a national security system. It joins federal, state and city forces and toughens the treatment of gang members.
Does the amendment lower the criminal age in Brazil?
No, senators split that question off, so the age stays at 18. Separate proposals are being debated in both houses.
Is the amendment already law?
Not yet in force. The Senate approved it on 3 November, and Congress must now promulgate it, with no date announced.
Will Brazil get a Ministry of Public Security?
Lula has promised one once the amendment is approved. The government has not yet confirmed a date or a structure.
Sources: Federal Senate, official note on the vote on PEC 18/2025, 3 Nov 2026; Ministry of Justice and Public Security, note on the approval, 3 Nov 2026; Ministry of Institutional Relations, note on the unanimous vote, 3 Nov 2026; Federal Senate, note on the age proposals, 4 Nov 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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