A force that alerts us

Thais Lemos Duarte’s legacy to Brazilian sociology

Abstract

In this article, we seek to systematize the intellectual and political legacy of Thais Lemos Duarte, highlighting her contributions to the fields of preventing and combating torture, studies on organized crime, and penal alternatives in Brazil. From the review of her academic production, her research and extension projects, in addition to her professional performance in human rights organizations, we show how Thais articulated rigorous empirical research, ethical engagement, and public intervention. In the axis of torture prevention, we discuss the limitations of the current legal-normative definitions and defend, based on the analyses produced by Thais, the need for a sociological concept capable of encompassing structural practices of state violence. We present the initiative “Where are my rights?” as an example of university extension with an impact on the training of family members of prisoners and the consolidation of torture prevention networks in Minas Gerais. In the field of organized crime, we analyze its contribution to the understanding of the expansion of the First Command of the Capital, with emphasis on state and media narratives that shape public perceptions and legitimize policies of penal hardening. Finally, in the debate on penal alternatives, we highlight the actions of Thais that reveal structural obstacles to the consolidation of these measures, especially the institutional resistance to their application and the precariousness of the structures responsible for their execution. Thais’ work inaugurates innovative methodological approaches, produces knowledge about the workings of the penal system, and affirms an academic practice committed to the realization of human rights.