RACISM, PUNITIVE POWER NA PENAL SELECTIVITY

A Critical Exhibition Abou Criminology In Brazil

Abstract

Criminology historically emerged as a form of social control initially binded to social classes. Throughout the 19th century, the etiological paradigm gained strength, advocating for the notion of crime as an ontological reality of the criminal—that is, the propensity to commit crime was seen as inherent to the individual, who could be identified through their own biological, anatomical, psychological, and similar characteristics. This criminological approach flourished freely in 19th-century Brazil, especially in the context of the recent abolition of slavery and the resulting need to renew the legitimacy of social control over the Black population. This was achieved through the widespread dissemination of labeling theory, which served to designate Black people as symbols of the internal enemy. Brazilian criminal policy, born and developed in this context, functions to perpetuate the cycle of racist penal selectivity. In contrast, critical criminology represents a rupture with this paradigm and seeks alternatives to the prevailing punitive system.

Keywords: Racism, Criminology; Punitive Power; Penal Selectivity; Human Rights.