Organized Crime in Brazilian Prisons: The Example of the PCC

Abstract

Policeman watching bus that was set on fire over the Eusébio Matoso bridge on the Marginal Pinheiros highway, in São Paulo's south zone, during a wave of violent attacks authorities attributed to the PCC.

Covenants without the Sword? Comparing Prison Self-Governance Globally

“…Much 7 of the evidence, however, does not support this approach. There are sometimes rapid changes in prison order, with little apparent causal change from outside of prison (Dias and Salla 2013).…”

“…However, in some cases, prison violence seems to decline when a single inmate group can monopolize control within a prison. In São Paulo, for example, the Primeiro Comando da Capital prison gang consolidated its power in 2006, and since that time, prison homicides and violence have fallen substantially (Dias and Salla 2013;Dias 2014). Power struggles are rife with violence, so its use declines when a single group emerges.…”

“…and their use has coincided with a dramatic fall in violence (Dias and Salla 2013;Denyer Willis 2015, 60-63).…”

Self-governing prisons: Prison gangs in an international perspective

“…Nevertheless, it was not until 1993, that the first prison gang is believed to have formed in the São Paulo prison system. This group called itself the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC -First Command of the Capital) (see Dias and Salla 2013). São Paulo has by far the largest number of prison establishments (168 facilities currently) and close to 240,000 prisoners (Justice Ministry 2017).…”

“…Consequently, the PCC is continuously seeking to overcome differences and avoid fragmentation by building (albeit in an arbitrary and authoritarian way) a consensus among prisoners and using this consensus to improve their conditions. By legitimating itself in this way, the PCC has sought to encourage ordinary prisoners to accept its dominance and willing adhere to its social norms, policing activities and punishments without the significant use of force (Dias and Salla 2013).…”