This article aims to discuss the relation between time and Law. It arises from problems in the methodologies usually applied to measure the length of criminal prosecution in Brazil and it is important because the findings of researches about that subject depend on the methodological procedures chosen for the data construction and handling, showing different results and different phenomena according to the methodologies applied. The article does not offer a final conclusion about what is the best way to analyze time in judicial cases, but aims to contribute with the growing interest in the subject of measurement of Law's time, highlighting questions and alternatives for those who must deal with the problem of measure time in prosecutions, especially in Brazilian courts.
methodology; sociology of courts; time of justice
