Prisões na Europa - European Prisons

Abstract

Prisons as social institutions withstand change yet, at the same time, they change as attempts are made for them to fulfil their legal charge: punishment and rehabilitation. Prison systems strive to make the modern utopian panopticon work, and to this end they have deal with all kinds of internal and external, organised and unplanned, social and economic interference. Research into the history of prisons also reflects on the country and spirit of the time within the context of the course of civilisation. At times in the sense of security, as was the case during the first half of the twentieth century, ravaged by two world wars and totalitarian regimes in Europe which confronted peoples, classes and states so that they mutually excluded each other from access to scant recourses. At times for humane reasons by means of policies of security, integration and social solidarity as in the case of philanthropic reform movements in the 19th century, and the setting up of a Welfare State in western nations during the Cold War in the 20th century. This theoretical framework was set up as an aid to comparative research, taking into account the different histories in the development of other prison institutions in Europe. An understanding of what different national penal systems do should reveal how in each case the defined policy aims organise and mobilise material and human resources, inside and outside prison. Relatives and friends of inmates, companies that supply goods and services to prisons, prison guards, public opinion, political systems, prison professions, the way the media covers matters of security and movements that support human rights, as well as many other factors, agents and social agendas influence life in prisons at every moment of history and in each place.

As prisões modernas são um fenómeno social controverso, quer por razões práticas, o condicionamento da acessibilidade às instituições prisionais por parte do público, nomeadamente através dos jornalistas ou dos cientistas, quer por razões teóricas, dada a racionalidade limitada da aplicação das penas — como explicou Dimas de Almeida, numa comunicação não transcrita que faz falta neste livro. A investigação social sobre prisões não é um campo desenvolvido das ciências sociais. Tem a sua tradição mais consiste te nos estudos fundados por Foucault e, mais recentemente, tem vindo a atrair mais atenções, provavelmente estimula da pelos fenómenos de sobrelotação das cadeias na Europa e no mundo e pelas lutas sociais que, de diversas maneiras, fazem da prisão o seu centro (cf. Rivera neste volume). Por que é que a consciência dominante tem preferido deixar-se envolver por emoções quando fala d justiça, em vez de procurar estabelecer protocolos de desenvolvimento de participação social e cooperação racional? Este poderá ser o mote da nos sa investigação colectiva.