Prison System in Portugal and Social Theory

António Pedro Dores ISCTE, 17 Maio 2007

http://iscte.pt/~apad

Prison System

• Inquisition, slave’s traffic and death penalty abolitions – practical and theoretical traditions

• Conciliation between doctrine of equality and social inequality

• Modernization: stigma and classification• Prison reform: between punishment and

rehabilitation• Portugal: From prison mafia discovery till

security modernisation • “nothing works” vs “everything is all right”

Justice and moral crisis

• Revolution and the Law (EEC and judge recruitment)

• Casa Pia, crime at private universities and political parties

• Corruption and ethical political debates• Justice system democratised and not

accountable (irresponsible)• Law at prison life as building feuds

Practical results• 3x European mean of time

incarceration • Disrespect of hierarchy of constitutional

laws (administrative punishments and persecutions without assessment)

• Health care, impunity and one of the highest prison death rate in European Council

• Threatens to dismiss political debate on human rights inside prisons

Violence in GiddensGiddens, Anthony (1985) The Nation-State and Violence, Cambridge, Polity.

Industrialism(and environment)

Private property (class)

Surveillance (Poliarchy)

Military industrial sector

Social Movements Giddens, Anthony (1985) The Nation-State and Violence, Cambridge, Polity.

Ecological Movements

Labour Movements

Democratic Movements

Peace Movements

Structuring Social Violence

(Ab)uses of people

Anthroponomic production (Berteaux)

ElevationPurification of the spirit

Submission spirit

(exclusion) stigma, social

division

Prohibitionist

spirit (control)Rationalization

(classification hide secrets, cf. child

abuse)

Revivalism spirit (social justice )

Love and violence (body and mind)

Bio ethical

Institutionsdispositions

Individuals

intentions

Familiesfaith

NormativeSocio-

economic

Social Modernizing DinamicsSolidarity cycle

Emancipation cycle

Social justice

Exclusion

Control

social movements

closure

racionalization

criminalization

revolution institutionalization

closure

racionalization

institutionalization

social movements

criminalization

revolution

Contradictory modernizing dinamics

Social justice

Exclusion

Controlsocial movements

criminalization

revolution

closure

racionalization

institutionalization

criminalization

closure

revolution

racionalizationsocial movements

institutionalization

Sociology of instabilitya theory of the sociological knowledge

• The objective conditions of the existence of sociology

• The subjective conditions of sociologist’s education

• The tradition of scientific success of social theories

• Critisizing Max Weber• Stabilization and destabilization – social

values and social emotions• Social movements• Social apathy