Homicide investigation, indictment and detectives’ decision making

Main Article Content

Denis Victor Lino de Sousa
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9185-0817
Antonio Roazzi
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6411-2763

Abstract

Investigative decision-making is a topic that has gained visibility after discovering that failures in this process are responsible for miscarriages of justice, such as wrongful arrests and misallocation of scarce police resources in the investigation. Despite recognizing its importance, in Brazil there has not yet been empirical research on the subject, preventing us from understanding how investigators make decisions and optimize them, preventing biases and heuristics from negatively interfering. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the knowledge and perceptions of homicide detectives on investigative decision-making. Fifteen detectives with at least two years of experience in homicide investigation were interviewed, and their responses were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through descriptive statistics and Similarity Structure Analysis. Every detective had taken courses focused on investigative work, but none of these was on investigative decision-making, likewise, very few of them knew the terms “investigative decision-making”, “bias” or “heuristics”, indicating a failure in the training of these professionals. It was also noticed that the existence of evidence, the possibility and structure to identify this evidence and the individual skills and competencies of the investigators are the factors that lead to a successful criminal investigation or its failure, as well as influence the decision to indict a suspect. Therefore, institutional actions that can provide the necessary instruments and theoretical-practical training in investigative decision-making are recommended to ensure a reasonable investigation and reduce investigative failures.

Article Details

How to Cite
Homicide investigation, indictment and detectives’ decision making. Brazilian Journal of Police Sciences, Brasília, Brasil, v. 13, n. 10, p. 101–136, 2022. DOI: 10.31412/rbcp.v13i10.999. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pf.gov.br/index.php/RBCP/article/view/999.. Acesso em: 7 nov. 2024.
Section
Dossier
Author Biographies

Denis Victor Lino de Sousa, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife-PE, Brasil / Doutorando

PhD student in Cognitive Psychology at the Federal University of Pernambuco with a CNPq grant, Master in Investigative and Forensic Psychology from the University of Liverpool, Specialist in Legal Psychology and Criminal Investigation from Faculdades Integradas de Patos (FIP), Graduated in Psychology from the State University of Paraíba ( UEPB). Researcher in Legal and Investigative Psychology with articles published in national and international scientific journals and papers presented at national and international conferences. Author of the book "Criminal Profiling - Criminal Profiling: Behavior Analysis in Criminal Investigation"

Antonio Roazzi, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife-PE, Brasil / Professor Titular

Doctor (D. Phil.) in Psychology of Cognitive Development from the University of Oxford obtained in 1988 under the guidance of Prof. Peter E. Bryant (supervisor) and Prof. Donald Broadbent (Adviser). He also holds the title of ?Dottore? in Applied Psychology from the Universitá degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza". He did postdoctoral work at the University of London, University of Oxford, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, ISTC (Rome, Italy), and Universitá degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza". He was a member of CAPES, ENEM and FACEPE Evaluation Committees. Full Member (2000-2002) and Coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Psychology and Social Work at CNPq (CA-PS, 2011-2012). Based on Facet Theory and its multidimensional approaches, it aims to explore methods and techniques of knowledge production that allow them to generate useful knowledge for the prediction and/or control of complex phenomena. Lately, he has been working mainly on the following topics: psychological assessment, self-awareness and expanded states of consciousness, psychology of socio-cognitive development, learning, mental logic, theory of mind, risk perception, people management, attachment, urban violence and the environmental component, highlighting the processes cognitive, social and imagetic of its inhabitants, among others. He was President of the Brazilian Society of Developmental Psychology (2002-2004) and of the Facet Theory Association (2011-2013). He is a professor at the Dep. in Psychology at the Federal University of Pernambuco and a Level 1A researcher at CNPq.

How to Cite

Homicide investigation, indictment and detectives’ decision making. Brazilian Journal of Police Sciences, Brasília, Brasil, v. 13, n. 10, p. 101–136, 2022. DOI: 10.31412/rbcp.v13i10.999. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pf.gov.br/index.php/RBCP/article/view/999.. Acesso em: 7 nov. 2024.

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