New book discusses the rise of penal populism in Brazil

One of the most recurring current agendas in the National Congress is the hardening of punishments for criminal acts. The rise of the so-called “penal populism” in Brazil is the main topic of the book “Por que o legislador quer aumentar penas – populismo penal na Câmara dos Deputados” [Why legislators want to harden punishments – penal populism in the Brazilian House of Representatives], written by FGV’s Rio de Janeiro Law School (Direito Rio) professor André Pacheco Teixeira Mendes, which has just been launched by Del Rey Editora.

In this work, the Direito Rio professor unveils the numerical and non-numerical evidence that proved the phenomenon of punitive populism within the legislative activity of the House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014 in Brazil.

In terms of criminal policy, the book addresses a very relevant and extremely current subject, not only in the country, but also in the world – Mendes was a Visiting Scholar at Oxford, where he develops a study with Julian Roberts, a professor of Criminology well known for his work in penal populism. Therefore, the work is an important source of information and study for journalists, politicians, scholars, members of the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary branches, prosecutors, public defenders, the Federal Police, lawyers, legal researchers and professionals in general, in addition to Social Science scholars.

"The work of professor André Mendes helps to understand our country and the fast-paced changes our democracy is undergoing regarding legislative production in criminal matters. The expansion of criminal control is closely related to the phenomenon of “penal populism”, addressed throughout the work, resulting in contingent, useless, disparate, improper and unfeasible legislative proposals”, said professor Thiago Bottino, a Criminal Law expert and General Coordinator of Undergraduate Law Courses at Direito Rio and Vice President of IBCCRIM.

André Pacheco Teixeira Mendes holds a PhD in Law from PUC-RJ and is an Academic Visitor at the Faculty of Law and Centre for Criminology of the University of Oxford, England. Professor, Member of the Center for Justice and Society (CJUS), attorney and Coordinator of Direito Rio’s Nucleus for Legal Practice (NPJ). Associated with the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences – IBCCRIM.

Go to the website for more information on the book.