Panorama of the Brazilian correctional structure

• Main Authors: Renata de Oliveira Cartaxo, Gabriela Maria Cavalcanti Costa, Suely Deysny de Matos Celino, Alessandro Leite Cavalcanti
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade de Fortaleza 2014-04-01
• Series: Revista Brasileira em Promoção da Saúde
• Subjects: Sistemas de Informação; Prisões; Pessoal de Saúde.
• Online Access: http://ojs.unifor.br/index.php/RBPS/article/view/2916

Objective: To describe, based on the Penitentiary Information Integrated System (Sistema Integrado de Informações Penitenciárias - Infopen), aspects of the national correctional structure, the convicts’ characteristics and the profiles of the existing professionals to guarantee the constitutional precept of healthcare. Methods: Descriptive study, on a documental basis, carried out from secondary data available in the Penitentiary Information Integrated System, where the Brazilian correctional structure was assessed, along with the prison inmate’s profile regarding personal characteristics and the committed crime, and the professionals involved in healthcare. Results: There are 298,275 vacancies, occupied by 496,251 convicts in 1,857 prisons. Concerning the inmates’ profile, it was observed that 92.3% (461,444) are male between 18 and 24 years old (25.6% - 126,929), dark-skinned (36.7% - 82,354), with incomplete elementary school (40.7% - 201,938), who mainly committed the drug smuggling crime (23.5% - 100,648). As to the composition of the health assistance team, it was evidenced a total amount of 5,132 professionals registered in the system. Conclusion: Based on the penitentiary information integrated system, the Brazilian correctional structure is characterized by presenting a vacancy deficit, caused by overcrowding and/or saturation of the existent prisons, what makes it especially difficult to guarantee the fulfillment of the inmates’ necessities. doi:10.5020/18061230.2013.p266