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Publication date: 21 November 2024

Olga Espinoza M.

Prison constitutes one of the main forms of managing punishment in penal systems (Dammert & Zúñiga, 2008; Garland, 2001; Sozzo, 2016). However, the study of prisons presents…

Abstract

Prison constitutes one of the main forms of managing punishment in penal systems (Dammert & Zúñiga, 2008; Garland, 2001; Sozzo, 2016). However, the study of prisons presents different emphases and scenarios depending on the context of observation. In this chapter, we analyse one of the most solid and structured prison systems in Latin America, the Chilean system, which aims to regulate all aspects of prison life, from those related to basic needs to those related to social reintegration. However, its intention of control clashes with the actual functioning of the prisons, producing tensions that are addressed by the staff under different strategies: some with a more punitive profile and others under more consensual margins. In order to explore this scenario, a documentary review of institutional reports on the Chilean prison system is carried out, which is combined with a descriptive qualitative study that, through in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The work carried out allows us to conclude that although order can be achieved through control and surveillance, that is, by imposing rules vertically, without listening to the people involved, demanding only the fulfilment of tasks, isolating and neutralising inmates in the event of any misconduct, this position creates a perception of injustice, which cumulatively can lead to violence (Byrne & Hummer, 2008). However, it is also possible to achieve order through legitimacy, that is, through relational mechanisms through which the problems of the people affected are identified and small agreements are reached, making them participants in the search for solutions.

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Punishment in Latin America: Explorations from the Margins
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-328-6

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