Simplificação da linguagem com foco no cidadão: uma demanda possível para a DPU

Abstract

This article aims to show the importance of simplifying the language in the Federal
Public Defender's Office. The DPU is a federal institution that provides full and free
legal assistance to citizens who do not have the resources to hire a lawyer. In these
terms, the Public Defender's Office is a public body that operates in the legal system,
areas traditionally seen as having specific and elaborate language. However, every
citizen has the right to understand the information provided by public institutions. The
objective is for the information provided by DPU to reach its target audience clearly
and efficiently. This article is a documentary bibliographical review, which is
anchored in the citations of language simplification found in the official documents of
the Federal Public Defender's Office, with a theoretical reference on Bureaucratic
Language based on the author Neide Mendonça (1987) and on Simple Language with
the author Heloísa Fischer (2020). The documentary research allowed us to conclude
that the Plain Language movement within the organization is under development and
internal guidelines for use have not yet been defined. There is a long way to go to
simplify the administrative, bureaucratic and legal language passed on to citizens, but
it is one of the ways to improve access to justice and strengthen citizenship.