The Specialized Prosecution Office for Plea Bargaining Agreements (ANPP) of the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul carried out a pilot project on Wednesday, September 23, in partnership with the Legal Practice Center of the School of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). The initiative involved the participation of Prosecutor Melissa Juchen and provided students with an experience in applying the instrument provided for in criminal legislation.
The activity enabled the holding of in-person hearings on the university campus, involving students from both the morning and evening shifts. During the program, the students participated in the negotiations related to the non-prosecution agreements, observing the negotiations and the questioning of the suspects, under the guidance and supervision of the involved professionals.
The project aims to bring academic training closer to the work of the Public Prosecutor's Office, allowing law students to learn about the functioning of consensual criminal justice and the use of the ANPP (National Public Defender's Office) as a tool for resolving conflicts in the criminal sphere. The partnership involved the participation of the School of Law at PUCRS, Dean Irmão Sandro Bobrzyk; the coordinator of the Law course, Elton Somensi de Oliveira; and the coordinator of the nucleus, Guilherme Antunes.
The implementation of the pilot project also involved Professor Fabiano Justin Cerveira, who integrated the activities of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office of the ANPP with the Free Legal Aid Service (SAJUG) and the Legal Practice Center of PUCRS. The initiative reinforces the integration between the Public Prosecutor's Office, the university, and the community, combining training, practice, and institutional action in the construction of consensual solutions in the criminal area.
Non-Prosecution Agreement
The Non-Prosecution Agreement is a consensual justice mechanism established between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defendant, along with their defense, before the start of a criminal trial. Applicable to offenses committed without violence or serious threat and with a minimum penalty of less than four years, the instrument requires the formal admission of the facts and compliance with agreed conditions, such as the reparation of the damage or the provision of services to the community, thereby avoiding the initiation of the criminal proceedings.
