If 'every prison is political', 'strength in the fight and focus on victory!'

the articulation of anti-prison groups and associations in the Federal District

Abstract

In this article, we seek to understand the configuration of the anti-prison struggle in the Federal District and how groups, associations and members linked to the theme are organized, their forms of articulation as a collective, as well as individual actors, how their interaction with family members takes place. of convicts and their insertion in local public institutions. For that, we start from the hypothesis that the dialogue and the action of these groups with the public institutions, as well as the insertion of public agents sympathetic to the anti-prison fight agenda, can make it possible to forward demands. Based on qualitative research, the fieldwork was structured in two phases: 1) documental survey and bibliographic research on: social movements, organized civil society, associations, social groups, penal abolitionism, combating racism, among other related topics; 2) fieldwork consisting of interviews with members of groups and associations linked to the anti-prison struggle, prevention and combating of torture in the prison system. We conclude that the presence of members of these groups and associations with State institutions, from participation in Mechanisms and Commissions to elective mandates, has enabled the creation of spaces for discussion and forwarding of demands related to the anti-prison struggle. However, the extrication agenda faces great challenges to its effective implementation in the Federal District, going through the internal obstacles of groups and associations, as well as the sympathy and adherence to the cause by the rulers.