INVISIBILITY AS AN EXPRESSION OF INSTITUTIONAL RACISM: WHO ARE THE USERS OF THE PUBLIC PROSECUTION OFFICE OF THE STATE OF BAHIA?

This essay aims at discussing the importance of collecting data on race/color in the Ministério Público do Estado da Bahia (MPBA), since this is not a widespread practice in the institution. Information about the race of those who seek MPBA services, if it exists, is not easily accessible to the public and researches, which makes it difficult to makes it difficult to identify and analyze  how different people that access the Justice System are, regarding race and ethnicity.  Based on a review of the literature on institutional racism and legislation to combat racism and promote racial equality, we noticed that the absence of data on race/color in the MPBA’s  registration system makes it impossible to generate a quality database, which prevents a careful analysis of the effectiveness of public policies towards the vulnerable population. The availability of data when it comes to the race of those who use the services of the institution is important to asses the services it offers, identify the greatest obstacles faced by the population, as well as subsidize social movements to carry out social control of public policies.