Proibicionismo, cárcere e Covid-19:

como a pandemia alterou as dinâmicas de entrada de drogas no complexo prisional de Aparecida de Goiânia/GO

Abstract

For years, drugs have been used as currency within prisons, often delivered by visitors, mainly women with emotional ties to the prisoners. However, the restriction of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent the entry of these substances into prisons, it only changed the dynamics and profiles of those involved. The study in question analyzed data from the Aparecida de Goiânia Prison Complex on gender, penal establishment, type and quantity of drugs seized, and location of storage or transportation in drug trafficking and possession crimes in 2020. The results showed that drugs were often thrown by unidentified individuals, but when identified, young males, including adolescents, were the predominant perpetrators. The study's findings reinforce the critical perspective that prohibition policies are ineffective and inefficient, as they cannot prevent drug use and/or circulation, even when individuals are fully under the surveillance and monitoring of the state, as during the pandemic period, when there was a greater intensification of isolation of incarcerated individuals from the external world.