This article examines the different modes of engagement between civil society and the state in the area of citizen security in Brazil. It begins by considering both the progress made in opening up new spaces for civil society interventions (in the role of advisor, watchdog and even service deliverer) across a number of policy areas, and the specific difficulties posed by the criminal justice system. It continues by analyzing the activities of non-state organizations in two fields: policing and the prison system. It concludes that the danger of producer capture is much greater in the former, because police are suspicious of civil society monitoring of their role, and the culture of community policing has not yet taken hold. However, the prison system has been more open to change, with some very creative partnerships between the state and local NGOs transforming the management and ethos of some small prisons.