Masculinidades entre matar e morrer: O que a saúde tem a ver com isso?

Abstract

The main cause of illness and death in the Brazilian young male population is external. Men involved in the criminal context die due to violence or are exposed to prison violence, the focus of this paper. In order to understand the diagram of forces involved in the production of criminalized masculinities, we aim at understanding which health is possible for these men whose fate, almost invariably, is social or physical death. Methodologically, this article is inspired by Michel Foucault perspective, analyzing, in the Brazilian biopolitical context, the discussion about public health policies directed towards men, such as Man’s Health Care Policy, the Plan for Health Care in Prisons and the new National Health Care Plan for People in Prisons. The analysis indicates that race and class inter-sectionalities are directly involved in the production of incarcerated men’s health. Recent data reveal that men get sick in prisons and die outside due to the lack of proper assistance. In this sense, the National Health Care Plan for Incarcerated People replaces the debate on health rights mainly related to integral and inter-sectorial aspects.