Racial profiling in drug trafficking processes: a case study in Belo Horizonte

Abstract

In this article, we analyze how racial profiling happen throughout the processing flow for drug trafficking in the Belo Horizonte criminal justice system. For that, we used quantitative data (derived from criminal cases filed between 2007 and 2017) and qualitative data (produced through semi-structured interviews with prosecutors, judges and defenders who worked in drug courts in 2018). The indicates the subterfuges mobilized by legal operators to guarantee racial discrimination, even though the word race is not always present in this operation.

Keywords:
Drug trafficking; Race; Speeches; Criminal justice system; Racial inequalities