The prison as a limit social institution

Abstract

The subjective effects of prison institutions have been clearly described by Goffman as common aspects of what this author called total institutions, mainly from the practices and discourses that characterize them. Also Foucault result, in this sense, an obligatory reference for this analysis. However, since the social and human sciences in general, and from psychology in particular, there were no significant contributions regarding the effects of prison routine on the mental health of inmates. In this way, the extensive production generated by the criticism of asylums did not move to this other institutional space, partially similar to the previous one.

The category of limit institution that is introduced in this essay aims to contribute to this debate, understanding that this border situation has to do with its condition of containing populations whose relational forms represent in part spaces of socialization and distant link of social models to from which are design the re-socialization policies.

In this way, the failure of prison policies also indicates the need to think of ways of punishing that measure these symbolic, cultural and social barriers.