In 2008, a policy to address the territorialisation of the drug trade in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas was developed: the pacification of favelas. It involves two key elements, policing and local development, which are said to work in tandem to conquer the territory from drug dealers and integrate these areas to the city. Drawing from the literature on the governance of marginalized areas and neoliberal practices of security, this study explores how the pacification of favelas unfolds within a neoliberal context. The findings of this study are based on a thematic analysis of twenty-five in-depth interviews with key actors involved in the development and implementation of three core projects of the policy (the Pacifying Police Unit and two projects that coordinates social efforts, UPP Social and Peace Territories). Using the theoretical lenses of pacification proposed by Neocleous (2011) and Rigakos (2011), this research argues that the pacification of favelas can be considered a "project of pacification" (Rigakos, 2011). The analysis demonstrates that the dual strategy of the policy reinforces neoliberal practices to govern through fear, resulting in the militarization of favelas. Moreover, this study also finds that this policy serves capitalist interests when implemented within a neoliberal framework, even though its core elements resemble interventionist initiatives of colonial enterprises. My findings also reveal that some participants resist the implementation of initiatives based on a neoliberal framework. However, although their actions seek to emancipate and build an ethical community in favelas, based on long-term and fraternal bonds, the mainstream approach is still prevalent. As a result, favelas are progressively turned into aesthetic communities in which the interests of the market are the driving force.

Residents in marginalized areas tend to show a lower level of confidence in the criminal justice system and carry out police reports and testimonies to the criminal justice system to a lesser extent than residents in other areas. In this scientific essay, a qualitative study is conducted to analyze the disinclination to leave testimonies and report crimes in marginalized areas, along with researching possible ways to improve the residents relationship with the criminal justice system. The theoretical framework for this study consists of Žižeks theory of violence, territorial stigma and social exclusion. The sample group for the study is advocates in non-profit organizations operating in marginalized areas. Using a semi-structured interview method, this study’s empirical findings reveals that a critical view of the criminal justice system, lack of confidence in the criminal justice system, ambivalent feelings about the residential area and mass medias stigmatizing effects are believed to cause a reluctance to cooperate with the criminal justice system in marginalized areas. Furthermore, our findings show that an admittance of the existence of racism within the justice system, increased communication, cultural competence, and safe meeting places are believed to improve the relationship between the residents and the criminal justice system.

Forskning visar att klientens förtroende för den professionella är avgörande för ett gynnsamt socialt arbete. Trots betydelsen av förtroende i det sociala arbetets praktik, visar undersökningar att socialtjänsten tenderar att ha ett lägre förtroende jämfört med andra samhällsaktörer. Det verkar dock existera en kunskapslucka vad gäller forskning som undersöker förtroendet för socialtjänsten i marginaliserade områden. Eftersom personer från marginaliserade områden tenderar att ha ett lägre förtroende för politiska institutioner generellt i jämförelse med majoritetsbefolkningen, är det av särskild relevans att undersöka hur förtroendet för socialtjänsten ser ut i marginaliserade områden. Följande studie syftar därmed till att undersöka förtroendet för socialtjänsten i marginaliserade områden ur lokalinvånares och socialarbetares perspektiv. För att besvara studiens syfte har en kvalitativ metod tillämpats. Studiens datamaterial utgörs av sex intervjuer med socialarbetare och fem fokusgruppsintervjuer med lokalinvånare från Angered och Vivalla. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgör av en postkolonial teori och begreppet ”den Andra” samt teorier om stigma och territoriell stigmatisering. Studiens resultat visar att lokalinvånare i marginaliserande område har ett bristande förtroende för socialtjänsten, vilket kommer till uttryck i form av en stor rädsla och misstro mot myndigheten. Av resultatet framkommer att lokalinvånarnas bristande förtroende för socialtjänsten kan förklaras utifrån faktorer som diskriminering och stigmatisering av personer från marginaliserade områden, bristande information om socialtjänsten, socialttjänstens bristande tillgänglighet i områdena, skam, ryktesspridning samt begränsningar i socialtjänstens verksamhet. / Research shows that the client's trust in the professional is crucial for social work. Despite the importance of trust in the practice of social work, surveys show that social services tend to have a lower level of trust compared with other societal actors. However, there seems to be a knowledge gap regarding research that examines confidence in the social services in marginalized areas. As people from marginalized areas tend to have lower confidence in political institutions compared to majority populations, it is of relevance to examine what trust in social services means and how it is expressed in marginalized areas. The following study therefore aims to examine trust in social services in marginalized areas from the perspective of local residents and social workers. A qualitative method was applied to this study to the purpose of the study and to answer the research questions. The study's data material consists of six interviews with social workers and five focus group interviews with residents from two different neighbourhoods that are considered marginalized: Angered and Vivalla. The theoretical framework of the study consists of a postcolonial theory and the concept of "the Other" as well as theories of stigma and territorial stigmatization. The results of the study show that residents in marginalized areas lack trust in social services, which is expressed in the form of fear and mistrust. The results show that the residents lack of trust in social services can be explained by factors such as discrimination and stigmatization of people from marginalized areas, lack of information about the social services, the social services' lack of accessibility in said areas, shame, rumours, and restrictions in the social services' activities.