THE CONSTITUTION OF PUBLIC SECURITY POLICIES IN THE GOVERNMENTS OF SÃO PAULO

AN ANALYSIS OF THE PENDULUM BETWEEN REPRESSION AND "MODERATION"

Abstract

In recent decades, Brazil has experienced several complex problems related to public security, violence and criminality, characterized by an increase of homicide rates, alarming numbers of prison population and police violence. The State of São Paulo has been an example of tensions, conflicts and generalized insecurity, marking the public security policies during governments under the democratic regime. In face of that, the purpose of this article is to analyze the stances of São Paulo governments, identifying a pendulum model of more repressive policies and more "moderate" ones, as a way to observe the action of the State in ruptures and continuities that produced new approaches in reality of São Paulo and in the field of public security.