Killing in the Slums: Social Order, Criminal Governance, and Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro

State interventions against organized criminal groups (OCGs) in Rio de Janeiro's favelas can either improve security or escalate violence, depending on the nature of the criminal regime. This study identifies five distinct criminal regimes—Insurgent, Bandit, Symbiotic, Predatory, and Split—each characterized by varying levels of confrontation or collaboration with state actors, community engagement, and territorial control. Police interventions in these regimes yield markedly different security outcomes. The research employs a multimethod approach, including quasi-experimental statistical analyses, automated text analysis, extensive qualitative research, and a large-scale survey, focusing on Rio de Janeiro's 'Pacifying Police Units' (UPPs), which aimed to reclaim favelas from criminal organizations.

MAGALONI, B., FRANCO-VIVANCO, E., & MELO, V. (2020). Killing in the Slums: Social Order, Criminal Governance, and Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro. American Political Science Review, 114(2), 552–572. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003055419000856