Preventive detention and standards of proof: proposals for the Brazilian criminal procedure

Based on recent discussions regarding legal epistemology, this paper intends to investigate and propose standards of proof for the decision that decrees preventive detention of the accused in the Brazilian criminal procedure. With this objective, the first part will answer the following questions: why use standards of proof and how to formulate a standard of proof. Next, it will analyze the relationship between procedural technique of cognition and standards of proof and will explain the factual-legal structure of the judicial decision on personal precautionary measures. Finally, based on these theoretical contributions, alongside the analysis of concepts used by the legislator and the interpretation given by legal scholarship to legal provisions, the study will propose standards of proof for both fumus comissi delicti and periculum liberatis. The methodology used throughout the study will be the analysis of bibliography on legal epistemology and criminal procedural law.

Keywords
standard of proof; preventive detention; criminal evidence; legal epistemology