INCONSISTENCIES AND CONTRADICTIONS IN THE DAILY LIFE OF PRISON INSTITUTIONS: PUNISHMENT AND CASTIGATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/y9x3f823Keywords:
: Mass incarceration; Penal selectivity; Structural racism; Prison system; PunishmentAbstract
This article examines the daily dynamics of custody and incarceration in Brazil, arguing that prison, often presented as a humanized form of punishment, operates through discriminatory, arbitrary, and largely ineffective practices. Rather than reducing imprisonment rates or recidivism, the penal system deepens inequality and turns punishment itself into a social problem. The discussion is grounded in the paradox that treats crime as a social issue while taking punishment as an automatic solution. The text also analyzes how confinement restricts access to education, work, and social reintegration, while highlighting the economic interests that help sustain prisons. Finally, it argues that mass incarceration in Brazil is intensified by structural racism and penal selectivity.
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