O crime de poluição sonora e a criminalidade espacialmente localizada: atualização dos vetores criminógenos como subsídio para a atuação das instituições do sistema de justiça criminal

Abstract

Noise pollution, especially in urban settings, undermines rest and health and constitutes a daily source of social conflict and the deterioration of community life. In this context, this study analyzes the crime of noise pollution in the Anjo da Guarda neighborhood, in São Luís, Maranhão (Brazil), in 2024. Mechanisms of social control are situated within two broad matrices whose assumptions serve as epistemological anchors: on the one hand, the tradition associated with the classical liberal state and a consensual conception of society; on the other, perspectives grounded in the idea of a structurally conflictual society. From this framework, the study examines the contours of Critical Criminology and the social disorganization theories linked to the Chicago School tradition, whose foundations were later incorporated into Criminology of Place, also examined within the scope of opportunity theories. It further points to the possibility of developing an acoustic criminology. Methodologically, the research adopted a predominantly inductive line of reasoning, using descriptive and diagnostic procedural methods, through a literature review, analysis of documentary sources from units of the Maranhão Civil Police, fieldwork, and interviews with community leaders in the aforementioned neighborhood. The results revealed a spatial concentration of records (a hotspot) and marked contiguity between bars and residences. The study concluded that the effectiveness of social control is fragile, associated both with insufficient state oversight and with indications of low social cohesion. Finally, it concluded that the persistence of noise pollution stems from the articulation between cultural and institutional vectors, which may guide more rational and effective strategies.