Prison and crime

notes and possible effects of public security strategies in Bahia (2005-2012)

Abstract

Public security strategies across the country have given priority to prison as a major form of punishment. The increasing incarceration of criminals is even more significant among those accused of drug trafficking. This text aims to explore some hypotheses about the direction of public security policies and the possible effects of incarceration on the occurrence of crime. We adopted to make this discussion data about the state of Bahia between the years 2005 to 2012. The results found show that there were effects opposite to those expected by public security managers. The greater incarceration appears to be correlated with the increase in criminal activities: homicide rate, theft and drug trafficking.