Rapid, unplanned growth of Brazil's urban centers (11 of its cities are home to more than 1 million people each) has been accompanied in most cases by soaring crime rates and public dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system. In several States, authorities have responded to this public concern with policies that tolerate or promote grave violations of the rights of criminal suspects. This study examines these violations -- extrajudicial executions, near-fatal shootings, and forced disappearances of civilians -- and the inadequate response of political, prosecutorial, and judicial authorities. The study also considers the constructive steps taken by some State and Federal actors in responding to this national problem. In the seven cities studied, police often kill people without justification, often file false reports that describe extrajudicial executions as shootouts with dangerous criminal elements, and then take the victims' corpses to emergency rooms so that "first aid" may be administered. By removing bodies from the crime scene (a violation of Brazilian law), they undermine any investigation. In some States, police have continued the practice of forced disappearances, an apparent holdover from Brazil's former military regime. When presented with indictments in the few cases that are investigated, Brazilian courts, particularly those in the military justice system, fail to fulfill their legal obligation to convict and sentence violent police. Bias against criminal suspects is nearly as pervasive in the courts as on police forces and in society at large. 17 recommendations are offered to address police brutality. 264 notes