The Technological Advancement of Organized Crime in Brazil: A documentary study on the use of technology by criminal groups and state policies to combat the phenomenon.

• Grant number: 25/23800-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: February 23, 2026
• End date: April 11, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Sergio França Adorno de Abreu
• Grantee: João Pedro Theves Knopf
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Organized crime, in the Brazilian context, has been the focus of sociological research in recent decades. Because of this, in recent years, there have been signs of the use of technological resources by criminal groups, in the same way as society as a whole. Given this, the main objective of this project is to analyze how criminal groups have incorporated digital technologies into their activities, and, based on this, this project seek to understand the impacts of the technologization of criminal dynamics on the prison-street dynamic, a dynamic that structures criminal governance by groups whose leaders are in the prison system, as well as to map possible actions and public policies developed by the state to address this contemporary phenomenon. WORKPLANMETHODOLOGYThe research will adopt a qualitative approach, based on documentary research in the field of sociology of violence, and it will be structured around three main axes:¿Review and Bibliographic Research: Investigation and analysis of bibliographic references on the sociology of violence, focusing on sociological investigations into organized crime, as well as a review of national and international literature on "Cities, organized crime, and prisons" to contextualize the documentary findings and compare the Brazilian scenario with broader and current discussions on the use of technology by organized crime.¿Documentary Research: construction of a documentary mapping, with two main focuses: newspaper reports and public security policies. Regarding newspaper reports, the mapping will target news stories that portray the use of technology by criminal factions in their activities and criminal dynamics. As for public security policies, the mapping will focus on policies that develop or propose actions by the government to deal with this new phenomenon within the world of organized crime, the use of technology in criminal practices and in the activities of criminal groups. ¿Content Analysis: Practical exercise analyzing a specific set of documents, connecting empirical material to theoretical discussions by NEV research groups. (AU)