Social-legal theory as an understanding tool of legal practice: an investigation on environmental crimes in the Amazon region

The paper analyses the topic to understand how the legal and judicial practices in two Amazonian municipalities (Apuí and Lábrea) respond to the dynamics of environmental crimes in the region. The research project is a based in a qualitative and quantitative methodology, introducing the recent developments of the research based on the semi structured interviews conducted with criminal justice professionals working with environmental crimes in the state of Amazonas. The interviews were gathered in the city of Manaus with a Judge from the Amazonas State, a Prosecutor from Public Ministry, a Federal Police Commissar, and a member of the Environmental Agency of Amazonas. Thus, it is possible to understand: a) the context of environmental crimes in the cities of Apuí and Lábrea, b) the responses of criminal justice institutions to the occurrence of environmental crimes in the region. understanding how the legal and judicial practices in Apuí and Lábrea respond to the dynamics of environmental crimes in the Amazonas.