This report assessed the quality of the information provided by the São Paulo State Public Defender’s Office (DPESP) to its users. The study was conducted by the DPESP’s Office of the Ombudsman in partnership with Transparência Brasil and was based on a central question: What does a user of the Public Defender’s Office need to know in order to receive assistance?

The analysis was organized around two main areas. The first assessed whether the institution’s mission, services, and operations are described in a clear and accessible manner. The second examined whether basic information needed to ensure access to the agency is available in a simple and direct way. 

In the first area, gaps were identified in 37% of the items analyzed, with half of the available content classified as inadequate for users’ needs. In the second area, gaps were found in 74% of the items, with 83.3% of the content classified as inadequate.

The report indicates that the Public Defender’s Office has difficulty communicating with the demographic it serves. More than half of the users have a household income of up to one minimum wage, and 26.7% have not completed formal education. The Public Defender’s Office primarily serves women (77%), 55% of whom are Black. Difficulty accessing information was the main reason for complaints filed with the Ombudsman’s Office in 2024, accounting for 36% of cases.