From conflict to “pacification”

Relations between criminal groups and prison administration in the Public Jail of Porto Alegre

  • Marcelli Cipriani Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil
  • Rodrigo Ghiringhelli de Azevedo Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34096/runa.v41i2.8004
Keywords: Prison, Criminal groups, Prison administration, Drug traffiking, Violence

Abstract

  Between the 80's and 90's, the Public Jail of Porto Alegre, the main prison in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, was the scene of intense turmoil: jailbreaks, homicides, riots and rebellions. In 1995, after a rebellion, prison management was taken over by the military police, which remains until today. From the 2000s onwards, the instabilities began to drop and currently became isolated events, despite overcrowding. Based in interviews made with inmates, police officers and justice system workers, we propose to analyze the passage between these two moments, emphasizing the relationship between the prisoners’ groups and the prison administration. We argue that the precarious balance achieved in this prison stems from the accommodation of antagonisms between prisoners and police officers who manage the prison, which was achieved through mutual concessions that took into consideration the interests of both parties involved.

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Author Biographies

Marcelli Cipriani, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil
Socióloga, doutoranda em Sociologia na UFRGS e pesquisadora do GPESC.
Rodrigo Ghiringhelli de Azevedo, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil
Sociólogo, professor da Escola de Direito da PUCRS, pesquisador PQ CNPq nível 1, membro do comitê gestor do INCT-InEAC e líder do GPESC.
Published
2020-09-22
How to Cite
Marcelli Cipriani, & Ghiringhelli de Azevedo, R. (2020). From conflict to “pacification”. RUNA, Archivo Para Las Ciencias Del Hombre, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.34096/runa.v41i2.8004
Issue
Vol 41 No 2 (2020): Dossier: Debates on the Anthropology of the State and Public Policies in Contemporary Latin American Contexts
Section
Dossier - Original Articles

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