THE SELF-FEEDING CYCLE OF THE BRAZILIAN PENITENTIARY SYSTEM AND THE EXPLOSION OF THE FEMALE PRISON POPULATION IN THE NORTHEAST

Abstract

This article will address the exponential growth of the female prison population in the Northeast and the configuration pattern of Brazilian criminal policy, based on studies about the penal structures. Initially, will be seen how the female emancipation, unassisted, constituted circumstances that led women to criminality. Then, will be collected data that allow to trace the profile of the incarcerated woman and the place of these women in crime to, in the sequence, see how a penal policy focused on incarceration inserts the prison system in a cycle that fosters its own collapse, constituting one of the determining thresholds for the explosion of the prison population. That said, the study elaborated becomes fundamental to the Law since starting from the analysis of a specific group, it is possible a better understanding about the configuration of the prison as a whole. To this end, the methodology used consists of applied research, using the deductive and dialectical methods and auxiliary methods (historical, quantitative and qualitative), as well as bibliographic research and articles from the legal and anthropological areas.