Brazilian Prison Research Articles

Overcrowding in the Brazilian prison system: its causes and consequences

In light of the current scenario, it can be observed that overcrowding in the Brazilian prison system is a consequence of serious structural complications that have worsened since its foundation during the colonial period, leading to the problems faced today, such as the supremacy of criminal factions, which substantially increase crime rates, and other factors like inadequate infrastructure, causing a major crisis in the prison system. Given this, the purpose of this article is to address the issue of prison overcrowding in Brazil, demonstrating its causes and possible solutions to alleviate this deficiency in the correctional system. Therefore, information and data were gathered, considering the insights of scholars on the problem of overcrowding in Brazilian prisons, with a basis in the fundamental rights inherent to every human being, as established in the Federal Constitution of 1988, aiming to answer the following research question: what are the causes and consequences of overcrowding in the Brazilian prison system? In this context, this article is proposed to facilitate a comprehensive examination of the prison system and highlight the causes and consequences that overcrowding imposes on inmates. The methodological approach employed was a bibliographic and descriptive review. At the end of the research, it can be concluded that the lack of state assistance and the disproportionate number of available spaces for the quantity of inmates are among the causes of this serious issue faced by Brazilian society.

Work in prisons: Considerations on racial inequalities and labor activities in Brazilian prisons

The problem of violence has been studied by several researchers who analyze contemporary society. In these debates, reflections on the involvement of young people in crime, the increase in incarceration of the black population and the importance of public policies for the prevention of this phenomenon are common. The Federal Constitution of Brazil - CRFB of 1988 and Law 7.210/84 of Penal Execution (LEP) show that educational and work activities must be carried out by the prison population, mainly because they represent efficient mechanisms in the rehabilitation of inmates. This research aims to analyze the criteria used by the penitentiaries to select the convicts considered apt to develop productive activities, verifying, above all, if the convicts' race, color, or ethnicity interfere in their possibilities of access to work activities. The methodology used consisted of the literature review produced on this topic specifically in Brazil in the last five years. The data obtained revealed aspects that allow the permanence of an unequal society, which violates rights guaranteed in the Magna Carta and in the Criminal Executions Law. Among them, the persistence of racial inequalities in prisons, the overcrowding and precariousness in prisons and, above all, the neglect of the public power in not expanding policies aimed at resocialization, stand out. In view of this, the need for the State to intervene in this reality is identified by implementing public policies capable of collaborating with the effectiveness of basic guarantees guaranteed to all citizens, including those who are under deprivation of liberty.

The use of benzodiazepines and the mental health of women in prison: a cross-sectional study

In this article we assessed the prevalence of benzodiazepine (BZD) use in women before and during imprisonment, as well as its related factors and association with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder in a quantitative, cross-sectional, analytical study of regional scope. Two female prisons in the Brazilian Prison System were included. Seventy-four women participated by completing questionnaires about their sociodemographic data, BZD use and use of other substances. These questionnaires included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL-C). Of the 46 women who reported no BZDs use before arrest, 29 (63%) began using BZDs during imprisonment (p < 0.001). Positive scores for PTSD, anxiety, and depression, as well as associations between BZD use during imprisonment and anxiety (p = 0.028), depression (p = 0.001) and comorbid anxiety and depression (p = 0.003) were found when a bivariate Poisson regression was performed. When a multivariate Poisson regression was performed for tobacco use, the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, BZD use was associated with depression (p = p = 0.008), with tobacco use (p = 0.012), but not with anxiety (p = 0.325). Imprisonment increases the psychological suffering of women, consequently increasing BZD use. Nonpharmacological measures need to be considered in the health care of incarcerated women.

Prevalence of overt and occult hepatitis B virus infection among an incarcerated population of Central-Western Brazil

Brazilian prison complexes are characterized by overcrowded cells and precarious conditions, leading to chronically low vacancy. Brazilian studies involving overt and occult infection (OBI) in this population are still scarce despite the vulnerability of people deprived of liberty to hepatitis B. Therefore, this study estimated the prevalence of HBV infection (overall and OBI) in individuals deprived of liberty in prisons in Central-Western Brazil. In addition, factors associated with HBV infection were evaluated. This cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 1083 prisoners who were tested for serological hepatitis B markers and HBV DNA from 2017 to 2020. Factors associated with lifetime HBV infection were investigated using logistic regression. An overall prevalence of HBV infection of 10.1% (95% CI: 8.42-12.11) was detected. Only 32.8% (95% CI: 30.08-35.76) had isolated anti-HBs positivity (serological evidence of HBV vaccination). Indeed, more than half of the population was susceptible to HBV infection (57.1%; 95% CI: 54.15-60.13). HBV DNA was detected in one HBsAg-positive sample (n=1/9; 11%). Also, HBV DNA was detected in five HBsAg-negative samples (n=5/1074), resulting in a prevalence of 0.5% (95% CI: 0.15-1.08) for occult infection. After the multivariate analysis, sexual intercourse with a partner living with HIV was a predictor independently associated with HBV exposure (OR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.26-14.55; p<0.020). These data demonstrate the need for preventive measures, mainly aimed at health education and better strategies for hepatitis B screening to control this infection in prisons more effectively.

Conviviality and Survival: Co-producing Brazilian Prison Order by Sacha Darke (2018)

Conviviality and Survival: Co-producing Brazilian Prison Order by Sacha Darke (2018)

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reality of Brazilian prisons

Introduction: Since 2020, the world has been suffering the impacts of the new coronavirus, which has assumed the proportions of a global pandemic, a reality that also affects people deprived of liberty and public servants, who work within prison units in Brazil. Objective: To investigate and analyze the impacts and numbers of cases of covid-19 that affected the population deprived of liberty and civil servants in the reality of Brazilian prisons. Design: This research is exploratory and bibliographic in nature, using public domain data, authors and Brazilian legislation. Also, the time lapse of the data reflected here is until April 2021. Results: Information and notifications of cases of covid-19, which affect Brazilian prisons, are not widely publicized and do not follow the update as other segments of the population. In addition, some measures were taken by governments, including the suspension of visits, the purchase of hygiene kits, such as alcohol gel and others. Implications: In this scenario, there was evidence of the indifference and negligence of governments with people deprived of liberty, who do not have their rights enforced in most prisons in the country.

WOMEN IN PRIVATE PRISON

The lack of health care is one of the most serious aspects that affect the Brazilian prison system. The environment of the penal establishment contributes to the emergence of latent diseases, or their manifestation. The convicts are not able, by their own means, to seek care or medication other than that offered by the system. In the case of female incarceration, the situation is more serious, since there is no specific policy for the care of imprisoned women, especially when pregnant. The objective is to reflect on the assistance to Women’s Health in the Prison System. The policies so far designed to improve the health conditions of female prisoners are undeniably worthy of recognition, as they are attentive to issues that are, in fact, more alarming. However, the biggest challenge is its implementation.

O IMPACTO DA SELETIVIDADE PENAL NA LEI DE DROGAS

This article used the theoretical foundation, making use of an existentialist tendency of a basic nature, based on critical criminology through an integrative bibliographic review for data collection, using the analytical-synthetic and deductive logic as a procedure, the analysis of information was carried out by analogies , perceptions, studies of articles and judgments about the subject, comparison between scholars, and the study of research and facts. The objective of this analysis was to address the reason why the drug law and its recent changes had as its main result the exacerbated overcrowding of low-income people in Brazilian prisons, taking into account all the flaws in the norm related to drugs and identifying the legal consequence of criminal subjectivity on this topic. It is necessary to understand that selectivity does not arise from the moment the subject is detained, but from the moment he is born, depending on his social conditions, as if he were condemned only for living in a territory seen as dangerous or simply by the color of your skin. With the new drug law, being considered a dealer or a simple user has to do primarily with the individual's social origin: if he has financial conditions, has a renowned profession and lives in some central neighborhood of the capitals, he will hardly be considered a drug dealer. With the formation of stereotypes, the figure of the drug dealer is built, which will matter in his qualification as a user or dealer at a later time. Therefore, this discussion is, in fact, very important, as there are several implicit issues when it comes to drug trafficking, as the legislator did not bother to detail the specific amount of drugs to be applied to art 28 (user) or art 33 (trafficker), there is no apparatus in the law that presents objective criteria to differentiate the figure of the trafficker from that of the user, causing this arbitrariness in Law nº 11.343/2006 to have irreversible impacts on Brazilian society.

Delay in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in prisons in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

The number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in prisons is higher than that in the general population and has been reported as the most common cause of death in prisons. This study evaluated the delay in the diagnosis and treatment of TB in Brazilian prisons. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2007 and 2015 using data from the five largest male prisons in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. TB case data was collected from the National Database of Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), GAL-LACEN, and prison medical records. The following variables were recorded: prison, year of diagnosis, age, race, education, HIV status, smoking status, comorbidities, number of symptoms, percentage of cures, delay in diagnosis, patient delay, provider delay, laboratory delay, and delay in treatment. Descriptive statistics were used for the variables of interest. A total of 362 pulmonary TB cases were identified. The average time between the first symptom and reporting of data was 94 days. The mean time between symptom onset and laboratory diagnosis was 91 days. The average time from symptom onset to first consultation was 80 days. The time between diagnosis and treatment initiation was 5 days. Delays were significant between reporting of the first symptoms and diagnosis and significantly smaller from the time between notification and start of treatment. Control strategies should be implemented to diagnose cases through active screening, to avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment, and to reduce TB transmission.

Tuberculosis in the Brazilian prison system: scenarios via Joinpoint, from 2007 to 2019

This study describes and compares tuberculosis (TB) data among persons deprived of liberty and the general Brazilian population, from 2007 to 2019, using the Joinpoint tool to observe changes in trends. This study focuses on women and older adults, for HIV testing, and on the number of detainees according to prison capacity. This is a retrospective, quantitative, and analytical study, which uses methods of regression of time series data from secondary data of unrestricted access collected from the Brazilian Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), and from analytical reports made available by the Brazilian National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN). The results show a considerably higher increase in the prevalence of TB in persons deprived of liberty in all perspectives analyzed; increased HIV testing; and a debatable trend of stability in the number of detainees according to prison capacity. When analyzing trends in prevalence, services, and determinants, it is curious to see the temporal non-coincidence in most cases. Clearly, national policies against TB do not have the same effect within prisons and even the National Policy for Comprehensive Health Care for People Deprived of Liberty in the Prison System (PNAISP) showed restricted effects in view of the health situation herein analyzed. Despite working with secondary data of variable reliability, comparisons were reached that can impact health decisions and actions. Although lacking complete and definitive answers, it was possible to launch a new point-of-view on the evolution of questions for which reflection is essential.

Warfare Tactics and Techno-Managerial Solutions: The Public Private Management of the Brazilian Prison Crisis

This article examines the interactions between the public and private sectors in the process of increasingly endowing the Brazilian penal system with security technologies in the wake of a series of prison rebellions led by the “criminal group” Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). By discussing the discourses and rationales mobilized by politicians, legislators and businessmen within the scope of the Congressional Inquiry of the prison system established in 2008, the article shows that the growing presence of private capital into the Brazilian criminal justice system activates the technical and discursive connections between cost-effective surveillance and violent repression as the main strategies for prison management in the country.

Leprosy among female prisoners in Brazil.

To estimate the prevalence of leprosy among Brazilian female prisoners and identify factors associated with the disease. Cross-sectional study conducted between 2014 and 2015 in 15 Brazilian female prisons. The data of 1,327 women were collected using Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing and dermatological and neurological examination to identify suspicious lesions of leprosy. The average age was 33.4 years. Suspicion of leprosy was identified in 5.1% of women in prison, and lifetime self-reported prevalence was 7.5%. The variables that were associated with lifetime self-reported leprosy were: women in prison once being twice as likely to have leprosy; white women were 1.4 time more likely to have leprosy than non-white women; women who knew someone with leprosy was 1.9 time more likely to have leprosy; and women who shared a cell with 11 or more women were 2.5 times more likely to have leprosy than women who shared a cell with two or fewer people. The leprosy prevalence among female prisoners in Brazil were greater than that found in a Brazilian woman of the general population and show the extremely high vulnerability of this population generated through pre-incarceration poverty, as well as potential transmission in prison.

Social reintegration programs for former inmates in Brazil: is there a gender perspective?

With the increasing number of women deprived of liberty worldwide, implementing specific strategies that should be applied to the support offered to these women are essential social measures. This study aims to analyze the supply of resources for the social reintegration of former inmates of the Brazilian prison system from a gender perspective. We propose to conduct a documentary analysis on governmental and non-governmental strategies aimed at this audience, with a gender perspective, through an analytical matrix for the 2020-2021 period. The results show several programs in the country aimed at the social reintegration of former prisoners; however, few have a gender perspective. The theme of social reintegration and the prison system was identified in 84 news items on government agencies' websites, 20 of which were federal and 64 state, in 11 international organizations operating in Brazil, and 12 NGOs. Only six had a gender profile. The challenge for the Brazilian penitentiary system is to introduce the citizenship and human dignity approach in the prison system, including an approach to the gender issue.

Programas de reinserção social para egressos do sistema prisional no Brasil: há um olhar para o recorte de gênero?

Abstract With the increasing number of women deprived of liberty worldwide, implementing specific strategies that should be applied to the support offered to these women are essential social measures. This study aims to analyze the supply of resources for the social reintegration of former inmates of the Brazilian prison system from a gender perspective. We propose to conduct a documentary analysis on governmental and non-governmental strategies aimed at this audience, with a gender perspective, through an analytical matrix for the 2020-2021 period. The results show several programs in the country aimed at the social reintegration of former prisoners; however, few have a gender perspective. The theme of social reintegration and the prison system was identified in 84 news items on government agencies’ websites, 20 of which were federal and 64 state, in 11 international organizations operating in Brazil, and 12 NGOs. Only six had a gender profile. The challenge for the Brazilian penitentiary system is to introduce the citizenship and human dignity approach in the prison system, including an approach to the gender issue.

SISTEMA PRISIONAL FEMININO BRASILEIRO

The objective of this article is to analyze the fundamental rights and guarantees guaranteed to women prisoners in the Brazilian prison system, highlighting the treatment that are applied to incarcerated women and highlighting the rights guaranteed to these inmates defined by gender. As well as bringing a brief comparison and criticism of the Brazilian female prison system in the face of the reality experienced daily by inmates, focusing on the gender division and the difficulties faced by this prison population that is almost invisible to the eyes of the Brazilian prison system and the criminal and procedural system. criminal prosecution of crimes. There is also a racial marking among this population, where the majority is black, generating the “mass incarceration of black women”, lacking state support and having social deficiencies, such as low education and lack of employment. Bringing a humanitarian reflection about the woman inside the prison and after it, emphasizing the biological and sanitary needs, since they are "prisoners" who menstruate, give birth and breastfeed.

The effectiveness of the Brazilian prison system in fulfilling the social function of punishment according to the Brazilian penal law

This article criticizes the effectiveness of the Brazilian prison system in fulfilling its social function. In order to do so, it engages in a historical journey from the origin of penalties in the Ancient Age, Middle Ages, Modern Age until the present day, using as a guide the recognized works of Michel Foucault and other scholars who share the same Foucauldian principles. The relationship between prison and power that begins the text is mirrored throughout its content in order to solidify the understanding that the prison system reproduces, from one society to another, over time, the same model of repression. The contradictions between the country's legislation on the execution of the penalty and the system's compliance with it constitute the crux of the article, which postulates for a rich and unprejudiced debate with the objective of finding solutions to eliminate the deficits between theory and practice. At the end, the article presents three possible solutions to reduce prison overcrowding, which is considered one of the main problems that deepen the degrading condition of prisoners in terms of human dignity.

HIV testing inside Brazilian female prisons: results of a national survey

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify the prevalence of women in prisons who have already had an HIV test inside prison and the factors associated with this test. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1327 women in 15 prisons in 9 states in Brazil. Almost 60% (95% CI: 57.8–63.7) of women have already been tested for HIV in prison. The factors associated with this HIV test were age ≥41 years (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.2–2.9), highest level of education (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.3–2.8), having been arrested 3 or more times (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.3–2.8), having received information about HIV/STI in the lifetime (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1–1.9) and perceived themselves to be at no risk for HIV infection (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.2–2.5), black or mixed race (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5–0.9) and having a male sexual partner (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.5–0.9). The routine HIV testing in prisons needs to be expanded to promote HIV prevention for a population with limited access to these services outside of prison.

Brazilian prisons in times of mass incarceration: Ambivalent transformations

AbstractMost of the scholarship on the ‘punitive turn’ has claimed that there have been two main trends in punishment since the 1970s: the rise of incarceration rates (quantitative dimension) and the worsening of prison conditions (qualitative dimension). Scholars argue that, in parallel with the rise of mass incarceration, there has been a fall of the rehabilitative ideal. In this view, prisons in core countries have basically operated as a warehouse, working towards neutralisation and incapacitation. Both trends are also viewed as reflecting a global convergence of penal policies. The analysis of the Brazilian case challenges this supposed universality. Drawing on official prison data, reports from non‐governmental organisations, and secondary data, I argue that mass incarceration has not been accompanied by the same qualitative changes to prisons in ‘Western countries’ and Brazil. First, features of the so‐called warehouse prison, such as low levels of prison activities, have always been present in Brazilian prisons, and are not an effect of mass incarceration. Furthermore, the consequences of mass incarceration in Brazilian prisons have, in fact, been ambivalent and, in some cases, may have alleviated inmates’ suffering, rather than intensifying experiences of confinement. Finally, instead of neutralising and controlling criminals, Brazilian prisons under mass incarceration have contributed to the emergence, empowerment, recruitment and organisation of gangs, whose powers now transcend the physical barriers of prison walls.

COVID-19 in prisons: what telejournalism (not) showed - a study on the criteria for newsworthiness during the pandemic.

To analyze the news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazilian prisons and its visibility, 213 articles broadcast between March and December 2020 were examined, found in the search service of the digital streaming video platform Globoplay. Most aired in March, April and July, with the theme almost disappearing in subsequent months. The reports, on numbers of deaths or infections, prevention measures and house arrest or freedom for groups at risk of COVID-19 were mainly published in local telejournals. Health agencies were barely heard. Of the 19 news items presented nationally, 12 address "famous prisoners" and the legibility of house arrest or freedom for groups at risk of COVID-19 unfavorable outcome. The health guidelines and the guarantee of the right to health of persons deprived of liberty were limited to the difficulties in implementing protection measures in prisons and to sustaining the need for restrictive measures to move inside prisons and in exchanges with the outside, to limit the circulation of the virus. In general, the form and visibility given to the topic do not contribute to broadening the viewers' perception of the sanitary conditions in prisons and the fact that health is a right for all, without any distinction.

COVID-19 nas prisões: o que o telejornalismo (não) mostrou - um estudo sobre os critérios de noticiabilidade na pandemia

Abstract To analyze the news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazilian prisons and its visibility, 213 articles broadcast between March and December 2020 were examined, found in the search service of the digital streaming video platform Globoplay. Most aired in March, April and July, with the theme almost disappearing in subsequent months. The reports, on numbers of deaths or infections, prevention measures and house arrest or freedom for groups at risk of COVID-19 were mainly published in local telejournals. Health agencies were barely heard. Of the 19 news items presented nationally, 12 address “famous prisoners” and the legibility of house arrest or freedom for groups at risk of COVID-19 unfavorable outcome. The health guidelines and the guarantee of the right to health of persons deprived of liberty were limited to the difficulties in implementing protection measures in prisons and to sustaining the need for restrictive measures to move inside prisons and in exchanges with the outside, to limit the circulation of the virus. In general, the form and visibility given to the topic do not contribute to broadening the viewers’ perception of the sanitary conditions in prisons and the fact that health is a right for all, without any distinction.