Violent Crime Reduction in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Rio de Janeiro is infamous for violence. In many of the city’s large, informal settlements known as favelas, violent drug gangs have ruled with impunity while corrupt police officers contribute to distrust of formal government. The introduction of new Pacifying Police Units (UPP) in 2008 has resulted in impressive progress, but much still remains to be done. The focus of this Task Force is to provide recommendations to ensure that the UPP program continues to be successful. Our recommendations are geared toward furthering UPP integration into communities in a way that 1) preserves the progress that has already been made and 2) ensures permanent change, both within Rio’s troubled police force and in “pacified” communities. While much has been accomplished already, the task is far from complete.