Whose command is it?

“Winner of the 2020 National Library Award, Social Essay category

A reflection of great interest and current relevance on the characters involved in the mediation of the Brazilian penitentiary system.

The terrifying reality of the Brazilian penitentiary system is well known: overcrowded prisons, unsanitary and inhumane living conditions, a near-complete lack of legal assistance, torture as a daily form of punishment—and the list grows increasingly brutal. In this scenario, what's surprising about the horrific rebellions that periodically make national news, with their barbaric executions and medieval rituals, is not that they erupt occasionally, but that they don't occur weekly. The key to this enigma lies in the question: "Who is in charge of the prison?"
Eduardo Matos de Alencar’s fine sociological analysis joins hands with sensitive ethnographic description and narrative talent in search of answers.”