Ministério Público como radar de litígios estruturais: uma proposta para fortalecimento da cidadania participativa a partir do Programa dos Núcleos de Mediação Comunitária do Ministério Público do Estado do Ceará

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze which model of action can be adopted by the Community Mediation Centers Program of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Ceará (PRONUMEC) in order to overcome a practice centered on the resolution of interpersonal conflicts and to consolidate itself as an instrument for the identification and treatment of structural litigation, oriented toward the strengthening of participatory citizenship. This is a qualitative study developed through documentary analysis, examination of institutional statistical data, and semi-structured interviews with program managers and supervisors, articulated with a critical theoretical framework on citizenship, structural litigation, and community mediation. The results show that, although the conflicts handled by the Centers are formally classified as individual, they recurrently reveal underlying collective and structural dimensions related to repeated institutional failures, territorial inequalities, and deficiencies in public policies. It is concluded that community mediation, when guided by a structure–process logic, can operate as an institutional radar for structural litigation, provided it is accompanied by methodological reformulation, the adoption of qualified diagnostic instruments, a functional distinction between analysis and intervention, and strengthened articulation with specialized units of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. From a practical perspective, the study offers guidance for the institutional redesign of community mediation programs, contributing to a resolutive, democratic, and territorially grounded approach within the justice system. The thesis presents originality and value by proposing community mediation as a strategic platform for the structural reading of rights violations, thereby expanding the debate on contemporary models of conflict management in Brazil.