In this article, we describe some key features of the cases of police investigation that were denounced by the Public Prosecutor in Brazil. The pattern that emerges from a survey conducted in nine states, with a sample of criminal cases filed in 2011, differs from traditional representations of criminal investigation based on the search of witnesses, statements and confessions. The arrests take prominent place in the criminal investigation and has significant effects in the sentences. Finally, we suggest that this new pattern of police investigation may be the result of changes in the attitudes of Criminal Justice System professionals.
police; criminal investigation; arrest; case flow of criminal justice; criminal procedure