THE IMPACT OF THE PRISON SYSTEM ON THE EXPERIENCE OF DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY

Abstract

Brazil is currently facing a worrying mental health scenario. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that the country is among those with the highest number of cases of anxiety in the world, with approximately 19 million people suffering from this disorder. In addition, it is estimated that around 11.5 million Brazilians live with depression, representing one of the highest rates in Latin America.

When we look at the Brazilian prison system, the panorama becomes even more alarming. According to a survey by the National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN, 2023), Brazil has more than 830 thousand people deprived of liberty, ranking third in the world in terms of prison population. Recent studies indicate that more than 50% of inmates have some type of psychological distress, ranging from depressive disorders, anxiety, chemical dependency, psychotic episodes and personality disorders. However, access to mental health care is scarce, often nonexistent or discontinued, further aggravating the vulnerabilities of this population.

This digital book, entitled “The Impact of the Prison System on the Experience of Deprivation of Liberty”, is set in this critical context. The work proposes an in-depth reflection on the multiple effects of incarceration on the lives of individuals, especially with regard to mental health, social relationships and the process of subjectivation in the prison environment.

The structure of the book is organized into three interconnected chapters, which address the different aspects of the experience of deprivation of liberty.

The first chapter analyzes the prison system as a mechanism that goes beyond physical restriction, highlighting the psychological impact of the prison routine, institutionalized discipline and constant surveillance. Prison is presented not only as a space of containment, but as a place of profound existential impact, where the subject is confronted with the erasure of his/her individuality and the symbolic weight of social exclusion.

The second chapter discusses access to mental health in the prison system, highlighting structural obstacles, the shortage of multidisciplinary teams, the precariousness of specific public policies and the lack of continuity in treatments. The lack of adequate care contributes to the worsening of psychological conditions, in addition to hindering social reintegration and increasing cycles of criminal recidivism.

Finally, the third chapter is dedicated to reflecting on the effects of loneliness and social isolation during incarceration, silent factors that have a significant impact on the emotional well-being of individuals deprived of their liberty. Family separation, the breakdown of community ties and the absence of support networks directly affect the construction of identity and further weaken the mental state of inmates.

The purpose of this work is to shed light on a reality that is often invisible: psychological pain within Brazilian prisons. Using a critical and sensitive approach, the book seeks to provoke reflections not only on the prison system itself, but on the dehumanizing effects that deprivation of liberty can generate, especially when unaccompanied by effective public policies, dignity in serving the sentence and comprehensive mental health care.

We hope that this reading serves as an instrument of awareness and dialogue for researchers, legal professionals, psychologists, social workers, students and all those committed to the defense of human rights, true resocialization and the humanization of the Brazilian penal system.

The authors,

Melissa Borba Spader da Cunha

Patric Silveira Ferreira

Laura Maciel Tadêo Ferraz

Fernanda Cardona

Rodrigo Prestes Machado

Adilson Silva da Costa