Brazilian maximum security prisons: a study about the misuse of urban territorial potentialities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30972/crn.43439255

Keywords:

Prison and urban space, brazilian prisons, maximum security prisons, carceral geography

Abstract

The article examines the interaction between maximum security prisons and their surroundings in Brazil, as well as the repercussions on urban planning and regional interactions. The methodology focuses on the analysis of the six Brazilian maximum-security prisons and their
contexts. The study uses a bibliographic review and a location analysis to evaluate their influence on urban sectors and the attraction vectors produced by these structures. The results reveal a homogeneity among the analysed cases in terms of urban and regional impact, a
suggestion for possible Latin American similarities, the creation of areas with reduced urbanistic and landscape quality, and the non-existence of territorial and strategic public policies. Above all, the scenario suggests an irremediable loss of territorial opportunities. 

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Author Biographies

Clovis Ultramari, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. Universidade Federal do Paraná

Arquitecto, profesor de la Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná y de la Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brasil. 

Altair Rosa, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Máster en Gestión Urbana por la Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná y doctor en Ingeniería Hidráulica y Saneamiento por la Universidade de São Paulo. Profesor de la Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná.

Agnes Silva de Araujo, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Geógrafa y científica de la Información Geográfica, máster y doctora en Geografía Física por la USP. Profesora titular de la Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná.

Juliana Toledo Machado, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Historiadora, doctora en Gestión Urbana. Máster por el Programa de Posgrado en Tecnología y Sociedad de la Universidad Tecnológica del Paraná, Brasil, con un estudio sobre las Redes Sociales y la Era de la Generosidad Colectiva.

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Published

2026-04-28

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