Carandiru Lockdown: Inside The World's Most Dangerous Prison
by Drauzio Varella /
2012 / English / PDF
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One doctor's account of 10 years spent treating inmates in the
Casa de Detenção, Brazil's largest and harshest prison
One doctor's account of 10 years spent treating inmates in the
Casa de Detenção, Brazil's largest and harshest prison
The Carandiru House of Detention, in the teeming city of São
Paulo, was the largest and most crowded prison in Latin America.
Known as the "Old House," it was also highly unusual in the way
it was governed. Closed to the outside world, and even largely to
the wardens, it was run almost entirely by the inmates
themselves, who created a unique society complete with politics,
hierarchies, and a system of justice. In 1989, at the height of
the AIDS epidemic in Brazil, with only a handful of physicians
attempting to treat an inmate population of more
than 7,000, the medical situation at Carandiru was dire. A
city doctor, Drauzio Varella, volunteered his time at Carandiru
over the course of 13 years, in an effort to combat the rampant
disease. As he gained the inmates' trust he was given access to
their society, where he was overwhelmed by the profound humanity
and freedom of spirit shown by these men, despite their terrible
crimes and the inhuman conditions in which they lived.
The Carandiru House of Detention, in the teeming city of São
Paulo, was the largest and most crowded prison in Latin America.
Known as the "Old House," it was also highly unusual in the way
it was governed. Closed to the outside world, and even largely to
the wardens, it was run almost entirely by the inmates
themselves, who created a unique society complete with politics,
hierarchies, and a system of justice. In 1989, at the height of
the AIDS epidemic in Brazil, with only a handful of physicians
attempting to treat an inmate population of more
than 7,000, the medical situation at Carandiru was dire. A
city doctor, Drauzio Varella, volunteered his time at Carandiru
over the course of 13 years, in an effort to combat the rampant
disease. As he gained the inmates' trust he was given access to
their society, where he was overwhelmed by the profound humanity
and freedom of spirit shown by these men, despite their terrible
crimes and the inhuman conditions in which they lived.Carandiru Lockdown
Carandiru Lockdown is Varella's powerful depiction of life
on the inside, wherein he recounts the prisoners' colorful and
surprising stories. The book ends with the massacre by the police
of the prisoners that ultimately brought down the "Old House."
is Varella's powerful depiction of life
on the inside, wherein he recounts the prisoners' colorful and
surprising stories. The book ends with the massacre by the police
of the prisoners that ultimately brought down the "Old House."