Fabricio Bittencourt da Cruz
@uepg.br
Associate Professor of Law, Graduate Program in Applied Social Sciences (Master’s and PhD) and Professional Master’s in Law (PPGD)
Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa (UEPG)
Fabricio Bittencourt da Cruz is a Federal Judge in Brazil and an Associate Professor at the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG). He works at the intersection of public law, judicial governance, digital justice, Legal Design, Visual Law, and innovation in justice systems. He coordinates innovation initiatives in the Federal Justice (TRF4), including a Justice 4.0 Unit and an institutional innovation lab.
He is the founder and leader of MindTheGap – Innovation in Law, a CNPq-registered research group with more than 60 members. His research integrates empirical studies, procedural design, data-informed judicial administration, and user-centered communication.
Fabricio lectures in graduate programs (PPGCSA and PPGD/UEPG) and participates in international networks such as IACA, IOJT and IIJE, where he is a founding director. He has presented research and judicial innovation projects in South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Netherlands, the US, Argentina, Portugal and Spai
EDUCATION
LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D. in Law (University of São Paulo – USP). Postdoctoral research in judicial administration and innovation.
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Law, Public Administration, Communication
FUTURE PROJECTS
Judicial Governance and Digital Transformation
Empirical and applied research on how governance instruments, procedural design, and digital technologies can improve judicial administration and access to justice.
Applications Invited
Graduate students, researchers in public law, judicial innovation labs, data analysts.
Legal Design and Plain Language in Courts
Development, implementation and evaluation of user-centered communication models, prototypes, and Visual Law tools in justice systems.
Applications Invited
Design researchers, communication experts, legal tech developers, public administration scholars.
Data-Driven Judicial Administration
Analysis of institutional datasets (e.g., DataJud) to identify bottlenecks, improve workflows, and support governance decisions in courts.
Applications Invited
Data scientists, public management researchers, collaborators from justice institutions.
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Melina Carla de Souza Britto, André Parmo Folloni, and Fabrício Bittencourt da Cruz
UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio Dos Sinos
This paper analyses the relation between capabilities (regarding Amartya Sen’s capability approach and development theory) and fundamental social rights ensured in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988. It seeks to answer whether the fundamental social rights guaranteed in the Constitution serve to protect and expand capabilities. Using the deductive analysis method, as well doing a bibliographic review, we first make a brief discussion of Amartya Sen’s theory of development as freedom. After we analyse what are fundamental social rights in Brazil’s legal system and how they operate, they are compared to Amartya Sen’s notion of rights as means and entitlements to capabilities. Finally, we analyse the possibility of protection and expansion of capabilities through those fundamental social rights constitutionally granted. We conclude that fundamental social rights can be means to protect and expand capabilities once they are fully implemented in society. Thus, guarantee of fundamental social rights and its value as entitlements to capabilities cannot be left in the hands of the Judiciary Power as it needs to be observed by all the Public Administration, especially in making public policies.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Publications
Additional publications include book chapters, technical reports, and peer-reviewed articles on digital justice, judicial governance, procedural design, Legal Design, Plain Language, and Visual Law, as well as empirical studies on court administration and access to justice.
GRANT DETAILS
Participation in institutional innovation projects, including contributions to the NAPI Public Security and Forensic Sciences program and CNJ-aligned digital transformation projects. CNPq productivity grant applicant.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS (PATENTS, SOFTWARE, PUBLICATIONS, PRODUCTS)
Development of Visual Law and Legal Design prototypes for judicial communication; user-centered redesign of procedures; data-informed dashboards for judicial administration; Visual Law booklet “Você sabe com quem está falando?” (adopted by multiple federal criminal units and awarded in the TRF4 innovation challenge Inspiralize4JF).
CONSULTANCY
Participation in institutional and academic initiatives related to judicial governance and innovation, without any private consultancy or advisory services.
Industry, Institute, or Organisation Collaboration
Collaboration with the Brazilian Federal Judiciary (TRF4), Federal Justice innovation labs, CNJ Justice 4.0 initiatives, and public administration bodies. Founder of the International Institute for Justice Excellence (IIJE).
SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, or ACADEMIC BENEFITS
Research outcomes have improved clarity, efficiency, and user experience in federal judicial services, contributing to reduced procedural complexity, enhanced public communication, and replication of innovation models across courts. Academic benefits include graduate-level training and development of methodological tools for the study of judicial administration.