In the judicial network: an analysis of official data for drug indictments in Belo Horizonte (2008–2015)

Abstract

In this paper we intend to understand how the criminal courts in the city of Belo Horizonte apply the Drug Law (Law No. 11.343 / 2006). Taking into account the recognized limitations inherent to official records, our goal is to discuss the limits to and possibilities of understanding what happens to the suspects once they are in the judicial network, using the database of the Minas Gerais Court, which encompasses all procedures related to the Drug Law that were finalized in the capital between January 2008 and September 2015. We argue that courts specialized in drug crimes behave as a judicial assembly line, especially in cases in which the suspect has been caught red-handed, even if it means suppression of the defendant’s rights.

official records; Drug Law; assembly line justice; caught red-handed