Violence and negotiation in the construction of order in prisons: The São Paulo’s experience

Abstract

The article discusses the prison order from the sociology of the prisons theoretical reference and also from a very specific empirical context: The São Paulo scenario, marked by the hegemony of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) group. Our argument is that this group reconfigured the prison order; as an organization, established a new pattern of relations with the prison administration; it designed new forms of power exercise within the prison population, in terms of both the elements of prisoners’ hierarchies, as well as social controls and use of violence. In addition to the literature focused on the theme, two documents produced by the PCC (statutes) were taken as object of analysis that reflect two distinct moments of the group's trajectory; each one engendering elements and mechanisms that changed the dynamics while producing prison order.