The possibility of dismembering the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety in two portfolios was discussed again in the president’s government Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) with the announcement of the departure of Ricardo Lewandowski.
Experts disagree about the viability of the measure, but point out that the debate is not new and has already been seen in previous governments, such as that of Michel Temer (MDB), which carried out the separation.
“It is viable to separate, it has already been separated on other occasions, such as during the Temer government. Now it is time to assess whether or not it is worth doing this”, said political scientist and professor at Insper Leandro Cosentino.
About ten years ago, there was only the Ministry of Justice, responsible for both legal issues and public security policies. In February 2018, faced with high levels of violence, then president Michel Temer created the Ministry of Public Securityseparating the area of Justice.
During that period, crime indicators were high: in 2016, the country recorded 54 thousand intentional homicides; in 2017, the number rose to 56 thousand. After the creation of the new department, there was a reduction of around 10%, with records falling to 49 thousand homicides.
At the beginning of the following term, the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) abolished the Ministry of Public Security and re-unified the areas, creating the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Sergio Moro was appointed to command the unified portfolio.
During the Bolsonaro government, the indices showed an initial drop, followed by a significant increase in 2021 and subsequent stabilization. Experts consider, however, that methodological changes and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the records — with a reduction in crimes in 2020 and a resumption the following year.
In the third term of Lulathe data indicate a gradual and continuous reduction, with 36.4 thousand intentional homicides in 2024. Despite this, the numbers remain high in international comparison, including with neighboring countries, .
“There is no direct correlation between the separation of portfolios and a more effective fight against crime. It is, above all, a symbolic division”, assesses Cosentino.
Leonardo Paz Neves, researcher at FGV’s International Intelligence Center, adds that, in Brazil, there is a perception that the creation of a new ministry causes problems to “move on”.
“It’s not quite like that. You can even have a person dedicated to the issue, but does he have political strength? Can he talk to the Legislature to advance his proposals? The creation of the ministry improves the image, but does not guarantee concrete results”, he stated.
According to analysts, the symbolic dimension of the measure gains weight in an election year, especially given the public safety — and often cited as the “Achilles heel” of the left.
“We know that public security is the Achilles heel for the current government, and this creation would serve more to provide a response to the electorate,” said Cosentino, who defends structural investments, such as sharing data between police departments in all states.
Lawyer Marcos Jorge, a specialist in electoral law, assesses that, due to Brazil’s territorial dimension, the creation of a Ministry of Public Security could better meet the demands of the population.
“Considering the complexity of the competencies between Justice and Public Security, the relevance of the themes and the territorial dimension of the country, I believe that the creation of a specific department would meet national demands well,” he said.
For Jorge, the costs would be offset by the public interest. “As this is a sensitive and central issue for Brazilian society, any new spending would be justified by the gain in efficiency and quality of public security policies.”
Government assesses lack of political time for dismemberment
Despite recognizing the symbolic potential of the measure, the. It was already approved by the National Congress in December, which would make it difficult to create a new department without previously defined resources.
Another point considered is the risk of creating a Ministry of Public Security already emptied., which provided for greater coordination between the Union and the states, was significantly dehydrated in the Chamber of Deputies and is still awaiting a vote.
With the advancement of the electoral calendar and the expectation of emptying the Esplanada dos Ministérios, due to the departure of ministers who will compete for elected positions, the internal assessment is that the moment is not propitious for structural changes of this magnitude in the federal government.
