Judge who sentenced sergeant to 123 years in prison reveals how she decides sentences in cases of repercussion

Judge Thais Caroline Brecht Esteves, 46 years old, was responsible for conducting the trial of Military Police (PM) sergeant Samir do Nascimento Rodrigues Carvalho. He was sentenced to 123 years and four months in prison for stabbing his wife to death and trying to kill his 10-year-old daughter at a medical clinic in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo.

Thais claimed to have been the first woman to become a judge at the city's Jury and Criminal Executions Court. In an interview with g1, she revealed the behind-the-scenes of trials that can last for days and explained how the sentences are decided.

"I don't set the sentence thinking about being strict. I think about being fair [...]. I am very judicious in my decisions. I don't do anything on impulse or out of social commotion", said Thais. "I notice in the hearings that there is still a lot of misogyny towards a female judge, who perhaps more often has to be respected, without losing kindness", she highlighted.

The judge also commented on the challenges of being a woman in the judiciary, which go beyond the courts, reconciling the intense routine of the profession with marriage and motherhood of three children.

Regarding her career, Thais says that she entered Law at USP in 1998, choosing the area because she believed it would not deal well with medicine. After practicing law, he decided to pursue the judiciary to decide according to his conscience. He took office in 2007 and passed through several districts before arriving in Santos.

When addressing gender challenges, the judge points out: "Being a woman in the judiciary means learning to deal with gender issues. For women, the job market, with a few exceptions, is always different. There are environments in which they do not participate, meetings to which they are not invited." She highlights that reconciling motherhood and the strenuous volume of work is the biggest practical challenge.

Regarding the routine in the Jury Court, she explains that the work involves everything from the investigative phase to the plenary. "The plenary session is the closest we have to American films. The judge wears the robe, witnesses, the victim and also the defendant are heard in public, the defense and prosecution debate, often heatedly, and the jurors decide. The plenary sessions often last 10, 12 and even 14 hours straight."

When asked about the rigor of the sentences, the judge reiterates: "Justice in setting a sentence, in my view, is to analyze in detail all the circumstances, elements, consider the consequences of the crime so that, within the dosimetry that the legislator allows me, it is fair."