Procedural efficiency and the protection of victims and witnesses in Brazil: challenges in the face of organized crime
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19135/revista.consinter.00021.22Keywords:
Witness protection, Criminal procedure, Law No. 9,807/1999, Organized crime, Criminal justice effectiveness, Protective measuresAbstract
ABSTRACT
This article analyzes Law No. 9,807/1999, which established the Federal Program for the Protection of Threatened Victims and Witnesses in Brazil, placing it within the context of the rise of organized crime and the absence of legal instruments aimed at protecting individuals at risk due to their cooperation with criminal justice. Based on a legal-dogmatic approach and analysis of doctrine, case law, and institutional data, the study examines the legal requirements for the inclusion of victims, witnesses, and cooperating defendants in protection programs, as well as the effects of such measures on the effectiveness of evidence gathering. The findings show that although the number of protected individuals has remained relatively stable over the years — 328 beneficiaries in 2000 and 510 in 2025 — the program remains essential to ensuring personal safety and physical integrity of deponents in complex criminal cases. It concludes that strengthening the PROVITA is essential to fostering a balanced criminal procedure, capable of protecting fundamental rights without undermining the production of evidence in the face of macro-criminality.
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