Editorial (RDPDF vol 7 n 1 2024)

Abstract

The Journal of Brazilian Federal District Public Defensorship opens another year of publications by presenting the first issue of Volume 7, reaffirming the trajectory of the RDPDF as a qualified forum for the production and dissemination of legal knowledge committed to access to justice, the promotion of fundamental rights, and the institutional strengthening of the Public Defender’s Office. Throughout its history, this journal has consolidated itself as a plural space for critical reflection, academic dialogue, and the exchange of experiences oriented toward the realization of human dignity.

The articles that comprise this issue reflect the maturity of this editorial path and the continued relevance of themes central to public defense practice, while simultaneously engaging with contemporary challenges facing the justice system. From different perspectives, the contributions address the protection of rights in contexts of deprivation of liberty, the formulation of public policies aimed at vulnerable groups, the improvement of procedural guarantees in criminal matters, and the importance of intersectoral institutional practices oriented toward emancipation and citizenship.

By bringing together theoretical analyses, case studies, and institutional experiences, this issue highlights the role of the Public Defender’s Office as an essential agent in the construction of legal responses that are more attentive to social inequalities, while also contributing to the overcoming of exclusively punitive or fragmented models of state action. The thematic and methodological diversity of the works reaffirms the RDPDF’s commitment to a critical, interdisciplinary, and socially grounded approach to law.

The article Execução penal e custos vulnerabilis: a importância de iniciativas defensoriais em prol dos direitos no cárcere, by Júlia Rodrigues Cano, analyzes the role of the Public Defender’s Office in the enforcement of criminal sentences based on the experience of the “Portas Abertas” Project, developed by the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, highlighting the relevance of institutional initiatives aimed at ensuring the dignified execution of sentences and the protection of fundamental rights in prison.

In Fortalecendo a rede de proteção e empoderamento: o impacto do Dia da Mulher da Defensoria Pública do Distrito Federal, Soraia Sorice da Silva presents a documentary analysis of the Dia da Mulher da DPDF project, demonstrating its consolidation as an institutional policy for access to rights and for strengthening intersectoral support networks for women in situations of vulnerability in the Federal District.

Roberta Marina Cioatto, Ana Luisa Carvalho Gondim Barbosa, and Ingrid de Alencar Grangeiro critically examine the use of personal identification as criminal evidence in Reconhecimento pessoal como meio de prova: revisões criminais no Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Ceará diante do HC 598.886/SC. Based on an analysis of criminal review proceedings before the TJCE, the study highlights the risks associated with noncompliance with legal formalities and contributes to the debate on procedural safeguards and the prevention of wrongful convictions.

Next, Krisley Queiroz de Souza Amorim and Etienne Baldez Louzada Barbosa, in Tecendo redes: perspectiva de fortalecimento de ações intersetoriais nas medidas socioeducativas em meio aberto do Distrito Federal, discuss the importance of intersectoral and pedagogical practices in the context of open socio-educational measures, presenting experiences that break with the punitive paradigm and promote emancipatory actions aimed at fostering adolescents’ citizenship.

This issue also includes a scholarly book review dedicated to a significant work in the field of criminal procedure, contributing to the debate on the epistemic control of evidence and the strengthening of fundamental guarantees in the exercise of criminal jurisdiction. As an integral part of the journal’s editorial project, the review section plays an important role in bringing the legal community closer to relevant academic productions and in fostering qualified reflections on their theoretical and practical impacts.

Accordingly, Eraldo Silveira Filho, in O processo penal como dispositivo probatório: a historicidade da doutrina do corpo de delito como condição para o controle epistêmico da jurisdição penal, analyzes the work A cadeia de custódia da prova no processo penal, by Geraldo Prado, highlighting the centrality of epistemic control of criminal evidence and the role of the chain of custody in preserving the presumption of innocence and enhancing the quality of criminal jurisdiction.

By opening the 2025 editorial calendar, the RDPDF renews its commitment to academic excellence, editorial ethics, and the appreciation of the work of authors, peer reviewers, and the editorial team, whose efforts are fundamental to the continuity and improvement of this institutional project. The journal thus reaffirms its commitment to critical reflection, the institutional strengthening of the Public Defender’s Office, and the promotion of a justice system that is more democratic, rights-oriented, and attentive to social inequalities.

We wish all readers an enriching reading experience and invite the academic and professional community to continue following and contributing to future issues of the Revista da Defensoria Pública do Distrito Federal.