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Do Parlamento à Prisão: discurso político sobre o sistema prisional no Portugal democrático
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Resumo(s)
O sistema prisional tem sido alvo de constante reflexão política e, por isso, é matéria interessante para uma reflexão sociológica. No trabalho de investigação realizado procura-se analisar de que forma o sistema prisional é justificado, constituído e disputado no parlamento português contemporâneo. Partindo da ideia de que a prisão é simultaneamente uma instituição estatal e objeto de construção discursiva, pretende-se compreender como diferentes ideologias, representadas na Assembleia da República, produzem sentidos sobre punir, proteger e reabilitar no espaço democrático.
O estudo recorre a uma metodologia qualitativa de análise temática de conteúdo, aplicada a um corpus composto por quatro debates parlamentares, selecionados pela sua relevância simbólica, abrangência temática e pela forma como reinscrevem o tema no centro da agenda política: a revogação do regime excecional de flexibilização de penas no contexto da pandemia de Covid-19 (2021), a proposta de agravamento penal para crimes de homicídio apresentada pelo partido Chega (2022), a amnistia concedida por ocasião da Jornada Mundial da Juventude (2023) e a fuga de Vale de Judeus (2024).
A análise revela que o Parlamento não produz uma narrativa coerente e cumulativa sobre o sistema prisional, mas antes um campo heterogéneo regulado por hierarquias de princípios que variam em função de acontecimentos críticos. Identificam-se três padrões dominantes: a clivagem persistente entre discursos punitivos e humanistas; a centralidade da Constituição e da lei como fronteira de legitimação; e a reafirmação do Estado como ator responsável pela ordem, pela segurança e pela garantia de direitos. Constata-se ainda a invisibilidade da pessoa presa no discurso político. Nestes debates, a prisão surge simultaneamente como objeto de disputa ideológica e de consenso mínimo, naturalizada enquanto instituição inevitável, mas contestada quanto aos seus propósitos.
The prison system has long been the subject of political reflection and thus constitutes a compelling topic for sociological inquiry. This research investigates how the prison system is justified, constituted, and contested within contemporary Portuguese parliamentary debate. Starting from the premise that prison is both a state institution and a discursive construct, the study examines how different ideologies represented in the Assembly of the Republic generate meanings around punishment, protection, and rehabilitation in the democratic sphere. The study employs a qualitative methodology of thematic content analysis, applied to a corpus of four parliamentary debates selected for their symbolic relevance, thematic breadth, and the way they reposition prisons at the center of the political agenda: the repeal of the exceptional regime of sentence flexibilization during the Covid-19 pandemic (2021), the proposal by the Chega party to increase penalties for homicide (2022), the amnesty granted on the occasion of World Youth Day (2023), and the escape from Vale de Judeus prison (2023). The analysis shows that Parliament does not produce a coherent or cumulative narrative on the prison system but rather a heterogeneous field regulated by hierarchies of principles that shift in response to critical events. Three dominant patterns are identified: the persistent cleavage between punitive and humanist discourses; the centrality of the Constitution and the law as boundaries of legitimation; and the reaffirmation of the State as the actor responsible for order, security, and the safeguarding of rights. The analysis also highlights the invisibility of the incarcerated person within political discourse. Across these debates, prison emerges simultaneously as an object of ideological contestation and minimal consensus, naturalized as an inevitable institution, yet disputed in terms of its purposes.
The prison system has long been the subject of political reflection and thus constitutes a compelling topic for sociological inquiry. This research investigates how the prison system is justified, constituted, and contested within contemporary Portuguese parliamentary debate. Starting from the premise that prison is both a state institution and a discursive construct, the study examines how different ideologies represented in the Assembly of the Republic generate meanings around punishment, protection, and rehabilitation in the democratic sphere. The study employs a qualitative methodology of thematic content analysis, applied to a corpus of four parliamentary debates selected for their symbolic relevance, thematic breadth, and the way they reposition prisons at the center of the political agenda: the repeal of the exceptional regime of sentence flexibilization during the Covid-19 pandemic (2021), the proposal by the Chega party to increase penalties for homicide (2022), the amnesty granted on the occasion of World Youth Day (2023), and the escape from Vale de Judeus prison (2023). The analysis shows that Parliament does not produce a coherent or cumulative narrative on the prison system but rather a heterogeneous field regulated by hierarchies of principles that shift in response to critical events. Three dominant patterns are identified: the persistent cleavage between punitive and humanist discourses; the centrality of the Constitution and the law as boundaries of legitimation; and the reaffirmation of the State as the actor responsible for order, security, and the safeguarding of rights. The analysis also highlights the invisibility of the incarcerated person within political discourse. Across these debates, prison emerges simultaneously as an object of ideological contestation and minimal consensus, naturalized as an inevitable institution, yet disputed in terms of its purposes.