Interview

Brazil: disregard for life

With more than 700,000 prisoners, the ailing prison system has been thrown into turmoil by the ongoing political disorder and the health crisis caused by Covid-19. What is the future for prisons in Brazil, and what are the main challenges at present?

Rafael Godoi is a sociologist and researcher at the Centre for the Study of Citizenship, Conflict and Urban Violence at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. We asked him three questions.

The dominant political ideology in the country shows total disregard for human life, and this disregard is even worse for prisoners.

The poor imprisonment conditions can be seen across the country, although it is more or less acute depending on the state.

The worsening conflicts have been redefined by the pandemic, as what we are seeing is in fact a reduction in tensions between gangs.