STRUCTURAL RACISM AND THE JUDICIAL POLICE: CONSTITUTIONAL PATHWAYS TOWARD A CITIZEN‑CENTERED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

This article analyzes how structural racism permeates the Brazilian criminal justice system and influences the actions of the Judicial Police, which are responsible for criminal investigations and for the first filtering of guarantees and fundamental rights. Based on a qualitative, theoretically critical approach, grounded in authors referenced throughout the study, it discusses the institutional ambivalence of the police: while they may reproduce selective and stigmatizing practices, they also have the potential to act as promoters of citizenship and equity. The article examines the constitutional role of the Judicial Police within the Democratic State of Law, the safeguarding function of criminal investigations, and the impact of penal selectivity on vulnerable groups, especially the Black population. Finally, it proposes parameters for a citizen-centered criminal investigation, anchored in impartiality, respect for human rights, critical review of investigative practices, and the adoption of evidence-based methodologies. It argues that only an interpretive stance committed to social justice and human dignity can foster a democratic and anti-racist policing practice.