“The law went crazy”: Maria da Penha law and the effects of the ‘incondicionalidade’ of bodily harm crimes in police work in two Women’s Police Stations in São Paulo

Abstract

In 2006, law No. 11.340, also known as Maria da Penha Law, was enacted in Brazil, with the purpose of creating mechanisms to prevent domestic and family violence against women. In my research, I seek to understand how such a change would have impacted the practice and discourse of police officers in two Women's Police Stations in São Paulo, investigating the interaction of the police officers with the new law and the changes it brings, the meanings attributed to it, and more specifically the effects of the decision of the Supreme Court, in February 2012, to transform the offense of bodily harm, within the context of domestic violence, criminal investigation despite the wishes of the victim.