Prison practices on bodies. Mexico

Abstract

This study is based on Foucault's thesis that the analysis of penal practices constitutes an angle for observation of the political anatomy. As consequence, transformations of penal systems under Neoliberalism would provide clues to understand some of its political codes. From this perspective, the main characteristics of the current Mexican prison system are analyzed, as well as its practices and their effect on individuals subjected to imprisonment. In particular, the impact on bodies and their representation is explored, through material collected in interviews carried out with former prisoners. A comparative analysis is made between prisons of medium and high security, with the hypothesis that although they correspond to different models of state power exercise, they both nevertheless become articulated, configuring a complex and unique system that denotes distinctive features of political power in Neoliberal times.