Inside Crime and Prison - And Other Studies

In this engaging volume by César Barros Leal, scholars and practitioners can track the development and evolution of criminological thinking in Brazil.

The author, Professor Barros, is very well-positioned to address questions relating to the phenomenon of crime, prison, and alternative sentencing, as well as the juvenile justice system in Brazil, among others, given his vast experience as State Attorney, Professor of Law.

The texts presented are connected by the common thread of crime, punishment, restoration and human rights.

The book is a rich compilation of in-depth studies and reflections around these themes, presented in different countries across the globe, over a period of three decades, which demonstrate that some themes are incessantly relevant, and globally pertinent.

While many countries face similar challenges concerning prisons, juvenile inmates and the protection of human rights within the prison system, the Brazilian case is pivotal from local and comparative perspectives.

Inside Crime and Prison provides an in-depth, articulate and rigorous study of the Brazilian penitentiary system, human rights of the incarcerated, juvenile justice in Brazil, including an analysis of the issue of overcrowding in prisons in Latin America, among others.

In the chapter Conjugal Visit: a Prisoner's Right under the Sign of Equality, topics such as sexual assaults, sex trade and conjugal visits in penitentiaries are

nalysed from a comparative lens and are treated with the seriousness and humanity that the subject requires.

The narrative of Inside Crime and Prison is powerful, convincing, because it is eloquently told, from personal observations and reflections, and with an important critical outlook.

“Prison has failed”: this book is a testament that there are many crucial questions that must still be asked, debated and dwelt upon concerning crime, punishment, justice and prisons.

Miriam Cohen Assistant Professor and Researcher (University of Montreal) Leia mais