The penal state, the prison system and the crisis of humanism

Abstract

This paper seeks to present the relationship between the constitution of the Brazilian’ Penal State, the prison system and the crisis of humanism. The objective is to assess the relationship between the categories mentioned above with regard to the construction and execution of the institutional framework that permeates of Brazilian’ prison policy in contemporary times. In this sense, it seeks to shed light on the prison system and the naturalization of human rights violations in the context, as a product of society instituted from the crisis of humanism in the contemporary times. The study in question was carried out through bibliographic and documentary research, taking Lukács’ theories as inspiration for the reflection presented here. Thus, it is understood that the crisis of humanism which potentiates the Penal State in contemporary times, permeated Brazilian’ social formation and, therefore, demonstrates to be a remarkable characteristic of our sociability showing itself evident in the prison policy currently idealized, planned and executed in Brazil.