Limites e possibilidades do acesso à justiça: (re)pensando a unidade da Defensoria Pública da União em Pelotas

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and analyze the institutional performance and the assisted population of the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) unit in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, in 2023. The research examined the demographic profile of those seeking the DPU’s services in Pelotas and explored the relationship between their characteristics and access to justice. Additionally, the study assessed the factual and normative progress and setbacks of the DPU as an institution tasked with ensuring access to justice for vulnerable populations, while also investigating the key features of the DPU-Pelotas unit. Furthermore, the study presented the main theories on access to justice and their correlation with the Public Defender’s Office and the collected data. The objective was to understand how access to justice is materialized through the provision of Comprehensive and Free Legal Assistance (AJIG). To identify the characteristics of the DPU’s performance, the study utilized publicly available DPU data ("DPU em Números") on case filings, a documentary analysis of 2023 assistance cases, and interview data. The theoretical framework drew from the academic perspectives on the "waves of access to justice" as outlined in the Florence Access to Justice Project and its updated version, the Global Access to Justice Project. The data and theoretical review allowed for an assessment of the limitations and possibilities of the Pelotas unit in fulfilling the right to access to justice, thereby enabling a critical reevaluation of this institution’s role and potential strategies for improving and expanding Comprehensive and Free Legal Assistance services.