| Summary: | This article dialogue with sociological studies about the involvement of youth in dynamics of violence and crime in poor neighborhoods and suburbs of major urban centers. It presents the main results of an empirical research about youth gangs and armed groups operating in the slums of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte (RMBH), capital of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. From a theoretical point of view, we adopt the assumption that, in Brazil, the emergence of youth gangs and its involvement with crime dynamics in the favelas must be understood according to the relationship that these groups have with the context of profound socio-spatial exclusion and institutional violence that characterizes the life of large segments of the youth population in Brazil, in recent decades. In this sense, this paper describes not only how gangs and armed groups is structured in the slums of the metropolitan center of Belo Horizonte, but also the characteristics of its violence.To promote such discussion, the article presents data from a study conducted between 2009 and 2011 from three sources : 1. in-depth interviews with 40 adolescents undergoing rehabilitative measure, because their involvement in crimes such as homicide or drug trafficking ; 2. official records on violent crime in cities of the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte ; 3. A database from the intelligence services of the police as well as studies led by the Minas Gerais police, about the action of gangs and armed groups in RMBH.
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