Notas sobre a política penitenciária brasileira

Abstract

This text presents a critical discussion of the Brazilian penitentiary system, emphasizing the social role of the State, as opposed to the trend of intensification of the Penal State. This study shows the contradictions of the penitentiary policy as well as the failure of the penal model. Crime is approached by its most frequent modality – against property –, like an expression of the latent conflicts in the society, especially those concerned with the means of access to share of social wealth. The author highlights the struggles for social justice and for a culture of peace, towards a society without prisons.