Desigualdade, pobreza e Estado punitivo: um estudo sobre a marginalização e o aprisionamento seletivo no Brasil

Abstract

This study investigates the interactions between inequality, poverty and the punitive application of the State. Its objective is to discern how selective imprisonment, especially directed against poor, young and black individuals, has become consolidated in Brazil, contributing to the marginalization of poverty. Through a theoretical analysis, it was found that poverty transcends mere insufficient income, also encompassing socioeconomic vulnerability, limited access to resources, knowledge and employment opportunities. The criminalization of poverty occurs when social control agencies focus their punishment efforts on the poorest strata of society. The State, therefore, has a significant responsibility in the absence of adequate redistributive policies and the disproportionate application of criminal laws to the most disadvantaged. This dynamic, added to the intensification of social repression and the strengthening of the police apparatus, perpetuates the marginalization of the vulnerable population, worsening the crisis in the prison system.