A construção de problemas e a responsabilização política como processos de constituição de uma cultura pública sobre as prisões de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Based on Joseph Gusfield's theory, I investigated how a public culture regarding prisons in Minas Gerais was formed, particularly between 2003 and 2019. This culture shaped various practices and discourses about prison-related problems and enabled the identification of responsible authorities to address them. I collected bibliographic information and administrative data, as well as analyzed interviews with actors who actively participated in the public prison agenda. This allowed me to understand the techniques and collective interpretations that influenced perceptions of prisons, their functions, and the entities capable of providing solutions. The results showed that the public culture around prisons in Minas Gerais sustains beliefs about the State's inability to offer rehabilitative services for convicts. These beliefs are now rooted in perceptions of institutional disorganization and resistance tied to the paradigm of order maintenance inside prisons. In contrast, penal policies implemented by the APAC and PPP models are often seen as more legitimate for dealing with those classified as criminals. This perception is largely supported by claims that these models avoid the dysfunctions typically found in public administration. Furthermore, the issue of access to and protection of rights for incarcerated individuals continues to generate intense negotiations. This tension stems from differing interpretations of the Lei de Execuções Penais. Finally, the increasing prominence of prison guards has brought to the forefront a policing-oriented approach to prison policy, especially as these professionals have acquired the skills, resources, and responsibilities necessary to manage criminals and provide them with effective retributive treatment. The transformation of guards into penal officers seems to bring the public’s view of prisons back to the paradigms of the late 20th century, when Brazil was working to move beyond its dictatorial past, and prisons were scattered across the country as tools of repression and maintaining order: prison, once again, becomes a policing issue.