Dry Law: Homicides 'with intent' fall 46.9% in Rio

‘Homicides with intent’* in the state of Rio de Janeiro have been reduced by approximately half since the `dry law´ was enacted for motor vehicle drivers in Brazil. On July 24, a report issued by the Institute of Public Security of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Instituto de Segurança Pública do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, ISP) found that violent homicides have dropped 46.9%. The data cover deaths resulting from offenses with intention of causing death.

The statistics draw a comparison between crimes reported at the Delegacias Legais (a network of model Police Stations) throughout the state between June 19 and July 22 in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, there were 482 reported violent deaths. At present, there are 256 reported violent deaths for 2008 (see tables below).

Table comparing crimes committed in the state of Rio de Janeiro period: 6/19 to 7/22 of each year – absolute values.

 
 
Table comparing crimes committed in the state of Rio de Janeiro period: 6/19 to 7/22 of each year – values in percentile

ISP statisticians only comment on consolidated data. The latest figures to be reported were released in May. However, the preliminary data is not surprising. Similar reductions – between 40% and 60% - have been reported in studies conducted in other geographical areas.

One example is the city of Diadema, São Paulo, which reported the highest number of homicides in Brazil in 1999: 111 per 100 000 inhabitants or 374 in absolute numbers. In 2002, a law was enacted that forced bars in the city to close at 11 PM and decreed that establishments that sell alcohol must be monitored in order to curb illegal vending in the streets. Since then the number of homicides have dropped 60%: in 2007, there were 80 reported homicides, or 20 per 100 000 inhabitants.

To Diadema Social Defense Secretary Regina Miki, the benefits reaped by alcohol sales control law are evident. “The effect of the law was drastic and showed quick results. The action was vital and this was recognized by the population, to the extent that 97% supported the law,” she stated. Miki is not surprised with the drop in homicides in Rio, stating that: “The federal law does not ask people to stop drinking but it does prohibit drunk driving. Consider the ramifications: conflicts will start to be resolved through dialog.”

Catalyst of Violence

According to anthropologist Paula Miraglia, executive-director of The Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders - ILANUD, alcohol is a catalyst for violence. Miraglia states that in Diadema a study found that the majority of homicides occur in public view, near bars and at night.  “The dry law is efficient at preventing homicides related to interpersonal violence, like bar fights, between neighbors or couples. Alcohol increases the potential for violence within conflicts,” she explains.

But Miraglia notes that violence has diverse catalysts, such as for example, firearms. She claims that the weight of each one should be analyzed in specific contexts. “ She argues that:  “It’s necessary to carefully consider the dry law as a strategy. One should never be happy with one strategy. It is important that the designers of public policy understand the details of homicides. Do not presuppose that the dry law will resolve all types of crime, like drug trafficking. What works is a combination of tactics.”

In Diadema, in addition to the monitoring of establishments that sell alcohol, the law included the installation of surveillance cameras, training of the city municipal guard and projects focusing on youth. Paula Miraglia also emphasized that the city benefited from the improvement of work conducted by the state’s military police. She recommends that “preventative actions should be comprehensive.”

The research results

In São Paulo, research done by sociologist Guaracy Mingardi, from the Center for Studies of Violence at the University of São Paulo NEV-USP, in 14 locations of the most violent neighborhoods in the city’s South Zone, demonstrated that alcohol is the agent responsible for at least 41% of homicides.

Alcohol intake is also found in a large proportion of the victims of violence. Research conducted at the São Paulo’s Forensic Institute, the Instituto Médico Legal-IML in São Paulo in 2005 demonstrated that of 2007 victims of homicide in the state of São Paulo, 863 had consumed alcohol and the blood of 785 victims contained more than 0.6g of alcohol.

The data is provided in the paper "Use of Alcohol by Victims of Homicide in the Municipality of São Paulo” (“Uso de álcool por vítimas de homicídio no município de São Paulo”), written by researched Gabriel Andreuccetti, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (USP), distinguished by the National Secretary of Anti-Drug policy (Secretaria Nacional Antidrogas (Senad) in 2007.

Other research distinguished by Senad is “Municipal Policies Related to Alcohol: An Analysis of the Bar Curfew Law and Other Community Strategies in Diadema” ("Políticas municipais relacionadas ao álcool: análise da lei de fechamento de bares e outras estratégias comunitárias em Diadema SP)", by Dr. Sérgio Duailibi, from the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp).The study [3] shows that that the relationship between alcohol consumption and random acts of are very strong. 

In Greater Recife, the Jornal do Commercio newspaper conducted a study on the 55 homicides that occurred between the 16th and 26th of April in 2004. The study concluded that 20 of the homicides occurred in bars, parties, or resulting from drunkenness.

In the United States, research conducted by the National Institute of Alcoholism shows that alcohol abuse is a significant factor 68% of cases of manslaughter (committing homicide without the intention of causing death), 54% of violent deaths, 72% of rapes, 62% of assaults and 44% of robberies occurring nationally. The same study shows that alcohol is additionally a fundamental component in cases of domestic violence: almost two thirds of child abuse occurs when parents have consumed alcohol.

*translator's note: (a category of homicide akin to murder)

Translated by Nathaniel Wolfson

Read Further:

Relatório sobre o impacto da lei seca do ISP (.xls file in Portuguese)

Informações sobre homicídios e sua integração com o setor saúde e segurança pública - artigo de Vilma Pinheiro Gawryszewski, Túlio Kahn e Maria Helena Prado de Mello Jorge. (In Portuguese)

Políticas municipais relacionadas ao álcool: análise da lei de fechamento de bares e outras estratégias comunitárias em Diadema (SP) - tese de doutorado do médico Sérgio Duailibi, pesquisador da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp). (In Portuguese)