Public safety in Brazil has always been a central theme in public debate, mobilizing the opinion of civil society, state powers, and academia. In 2025, the context presents new challenges and complex dynamics that demand a deep understanding from citizens, managers, and legal professionals. 

Technological transformations, organized crime, urban violence, new forms of criminality, and institutional changes are forcing a reassessment of traditional security models. One of the main challenges in 2025 is the advancement of organized crime in networks, which transcends geographical boundaries and interacts with other types of crime, such as international drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking, and cybercrime. 

Criminal organizations such as prison gangs, militias, and cartels have expanded their operations beyond common crime, establishing sophisticated business structures with a great capacity to corrupt public officials and infiltrate state power.

The Public Security Scenario in Brazil

Public safety can no longer be considered in isolation. A systemic and integrated approach is necessary, with cooperation between the federative entities (Union, states and municipalities), police forces, Public Prosecutor's Office, Judiciary and civil society. Security policies need to be conceived within a national strategy that involves prevention, qualified repression, intelligence and investment in technology.

One of the points that deserves greater attention from public agents is the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, since these issues, far beyond penal matters, also require action from health agents in reversing the situation of drug users.

According to the Brazilian Public Security Forum, 46 violent deaths were recorded throughout the country in 2023, indicating a rate of 22,8 deaths per 100 inhabitants. Part of this statistic, which places Brazil among the nations with the highest murder rates in the world, can be understood as an effect of the growth of organized crime. 

Until a few decades ago, organized crime was primarily concerned with the presence of the State as a regulator of such illicit activities. However, over the years, due to the strengthening of these organizations and the shortcomings of public security in suppressing this growth, the factions began to focus more on their direct rivals, relegating state action to a secondary role.

Another crucial element is the evolution of cybercrimes. By 2025, digital attacks, electronic fraud, bank system intrusions, and disinformation crimes will have become more frequent and sophisticated. 

Cybercrime demands a new profile of security agents, with specialized training, technical infrastructure, and updated legislation. In this scenario, coordinated action between investigative bodies, digital forensics, and international authorities is indispensable, given the transnational nature of these crimes.

One of the markets that has been excessively affected by this new type of illegal activity is the legal profession. The well-known "fake lawyer scam" has misled many clients, causing serious and often irreparable harm.

MAIN CHALLENGES FACED IN CRIME SUPPRESSION

Police violence and the excessive use of force remain obstacles to the effective promotion of citizenship and human rights. Police lethality in Brazil is among the highest in the world, with high rates of deaths in operations and encounters. 

In 2025, pressure is growing for reforms in military and civil police forces, focusing on training, external oversight, transparency, and accountability . The adoption of body cameras, for example, has proven effective in reducing conflicts and increasing public trust in law enforcement officers.

Recently, another measure adopted by the State of Rio de Janeiro consists of creating a specialized force within the municipal civil guard, which would be able to repress everyday crimes such as robberies and thefts. 

On the other hand, the debate about demilitarizing the police is also gaining momentum. The existence of two forces with overlapping responsibilities—Military Police and Civil Police—generates inefficiencies, conflicts, and lack of coordination. Experts advocate for the creation of a single, full-cycle career path, focusing on civic education, the progressive use of force, and community policing. Modernizing police institutions is an essential part of reforming the security system.

In this same vein, the relationship between public safety and social inequality becomes even more evident. The regions with the greatest exclusion, lack of public services, and absence of the State are those most vulnerable to the actions of criminal groups, who use the illicitly obtained funds to recruit young people and those living in poverty. 

The fight against crime must be accompanied by social policies that promote education, income generation in underserved areas, and urbanization. Security is not limited to repression; it is also built on inclusion and social justice.

We live in a country where social inequality is so great that, while we discuss clean energy generation, we have regions where the population lives close to their own sewage, the infamous open sewers. 

Another important challenge is the management of public safety. Institutional fragmentation persists, with a lack of data standardization, poor integration between agencies, and a shortage of performance indicators. The use of information technology, big data , predictive analytics, and intelligence systems is essential for more modern and effective management. Investment in ongoing training and qualified leadership is also urgently needed.

In 2025, there is also increased concern about gender-based violence, femicide, and crimes against LGBTQIA+ populations. Public security needs to become more sensitive to the specific needs of these groups, offering specialized care, effective protective measures, and training for public agents. A gender perspective and intersectionality must be integrated into security policies, overcoming discriminatory bias and promoting a culture of respect and protection.

Challenges in the Criminal and Penitentiary System

The prison issue also demands attention in 2025. The Brazilian prison system remains overcrowded, unsanitary, and dominated by criminal factions. Far from rehabilitating, prisons often function as schools for crime, requiring profound reforms, with investments in alternative penalties, restrictive sentences, and harm reduction mechanisms. 

The execution of sentences should be humane, guided by the Constitution and international human rights standards, aiming to ensure that those who have been convicted can return to society without the risk of returning to a life of crime.

The functioning of the justice system also needs to be rethought. In many cases, there are excessive delays in trials, slow processing of cases, and selective prosecution. Access to justice remains unequal, with vulnerable populations being more affected by abuses and unnecessary pretrial detentions. The Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Public Defender's Office have a fundamental role in promoting a more balanced, efficient, and rights-based criminal justice system.

PROPOSALS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

In Congress, we observed a movement aimed at increasing the punishability of various crimes and seeking to value the professionals who work in this field.

• Bill 7.769/2017 – classifies homicide against the elderly as a heinous crime;
• Bill 1.637/2019 – establishes a minimum of 20 years for the compulsory hospitalization of defendants deemed legally incompetent due to mental illness;
• Bill 3.191/2024 – provides for a prison sentence of three to five years for anyone who obstructs a public road with barricades to commit crimes;
• Bill 6.158/2023 – allows the use of resources from the National Penitentiary Fund (Funpen) for the purchase of cell phone jammers in prisons;
• PL 5.265/2023 – establishes defense plans against robberies of cash-in-transit companies and against prison breaks; 
• Bill 2.573/2023 – provides psychological or psychiatric assistance to public security professionals involved in high-stress operations;
• Bill 3.976/2020 – creates a national registry of pedophiles, with the publication, on the internet, of information on people convicted of crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents; and
• Bill 779/2024 creates the White April campaign, which addresses the fight against violence against police officers.

This number of proposals since 2017 demonstrates a constant search by parliament for solutions, in order to create a more favorable environment for building a peaceful and just society.

CONCLUSION

It is crucial to understand that public safety is not built solely with weapons and prisons. It is consolidated through education, social justice, respect for the rule of law, and the dignity of the human person. 

In 2025, the challenges are greater, but so are the opportunities. With political will, intelligent management, and social participation, it is possible to build a more efficient, humane security model that is compatible with Brazil's democratic ideals.

Among the main areas to be combated, we can say that the two main targets are criminal factions and digital militias.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

BALLESTEROS, Paula Rodriguez. Public security policy management in Brazil: problems, impasses and challenges. Brazilian Journal of Public Security, v. 8, n. 1, p. 6-22, 2014.

CANTANHEDE, Taliana Cristina Cunha et al. The dominance of factions in Brazilian prisons: challenges and perspectives for public security. Contribuciones a las Ciencias Sociales, v. 18, n. 2, p. 13, 2025.

COUTO, Aiala Colares Oliveira. Cross-border drug trafficking relations in the Amazon: from related crimes to regional security challenges. 2024.

MASCARENHAS, Diego Fonseca. Democratic Challenges in the Digital Age: diagnoses and solutions for the production of fake news in Brazil in light of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Pensar-Revista de Ciências Jurídicas, v. 29, n. 1, p. 1-12, 2024.

SANTOS, Juizmar Pereira; SANTOS, Leonardo Pereira; PIRES, Max Souza. SECURITY, FREEDOM AND DIGNITY: The right to public security as a foundation of the Democratic Rule of Law. Multidisciplinary Journal of Northeastern Minas Gerais, v. 7, n. 1, p. 1-27, 2025.

SAPORI, Luís Flávio. Public security in Brazil: challenges and perspectives. FGV editora, 2007.