PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

This paper critically analyzes the protection of human rights in the Brazilian prison system, highlighting challenges and prospects for its implementation. The research shows that, although Brazil has an advanced legal framework, embodied in the Federal Constitution of 1988, the Penal Enforcement Act and international treaties such as the Mandela Rules, there is a significant gap between the normative plan and the reality of prisons. Overcrowding, degrading conditions, institutional violence, the absence of mental health and education policies, in addition to penal selectivity, are indicated as the main factors that compromise the dignity of people deprived of liberty. The study highlights the fundamental role of the Public Defender's Office, as well as the need to strengthen decarceration policies, the supervision of prison units and the humane training of prison staff. In addition, it highlights the importance of the Inter-American Human Rights System in inducing change and holding the state accountable. It is concluded that the effective protection of human rights in the Brazilian prison system depends on a structural, institutional and cultural transformation, guided by the centrality of human dignity and the promotion of social justice.