EDUCATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN POLICE TRAINING: HUMANIZING POLICE WORK

Abstract

In recent decades, Brazilian society has experienced profound transformations that cut across political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Globalization, technological advancements, and new forms of communication have modified human relationships and ways of life, demanding that public institutions take a new look at the role they play in promoting justice and security. Among these institutions, the police stand out as one of the most challenged to reconcile their coercive function with the need to act under the principles of legality, ethics, and human rights.

In the current context, the debate on the humanized training of police officers becomes indispensable. Police work, often associated with repression and the use of force, needs to be rethought in light of a pedagogy focused on valuing life, empathy, and respect for diversity. It is in this scenario that the present digital book, “Education and Human Rights in Police Training: Humanizing Police Work,” is situated, proposing consistent reflections on the importance of education and civic awareness in building a police force closer to society and committed to democratic values.

The work is based on the premise that education is the central instrument for transforming institutional practices, capable of shaping the behavior and professional ethics of those who deal daily with the protection of lives and the enforcement of laws. Police training, when based on solid and humanistic educational principles, broadens the security agent's perspective on their social role, allowing them to recognize the citizen not as a threat, but as a subject of rights and duties.

Chapter 1, entitled “Characterization of the Brazilian Police,” analyzes the historical process of the formation of police forces in Brazil, tracing the origins of their organizational structure and the influence of foreign models in the construction of their identity. It also discusses the challenges faced by these institutions in the face of contemporary demands, such as combating crime, preventing violence, and the need for closer ties with the community. In Chapter 2, “Brazilian Legislation and the Police Approach,” the reader will find an in-depth discussion of the legal framework that guides the conduct of security agents. It addresses the main constitutional and infraconstitutional provisions that regulate police action, as well as the ethical and legal limits that ensure the protection of fundamental rights. The chapter also reflects on the effects of legislation in daily practice, highlighting the role of continuing education in preventing abuses and promoting justice.

Chapter 3, “Human Values ​​and the Police Approach: A Debate on Rights,” presents an essential reflection on the relationship between ethics, morality, and human rights in police work. The text emphasizes that the effectiveness of public security actions depends not only on operational strategies but also on the police officer's ability to understand others, act with emotional balance, and recognize the limits of their authority. The humanization of police work is, therefore, a collective construction that involves education, sensitivity, and social commitment.

Thus, the book invites the reader—whether public security professionals, researchers, educators, or citizens—to rethink the role of the police in contemporary Brazilian society. More than a force of containment, the police are an institution that can and should be a promoter of peace, a mediator of conflicts, and a guardian of human dignity.

Through this work, the conviction is reaffirmed that education in human rights is the most effective path to the consolidation of a democratic and humanized police culture, in which respect for the law is combined with compassion, and the exercise of authority is based on the unconditional defense of life and social justice.