O trabalho do Assistente Social em unidades prisionais: perspectivas, desafios e potencialidades

Abstract

This research addresses the work of the Social Worker in the Prison System. The general objective of this research was to systematize the debate about the role of the social worker in the Brazilian Prison System. Its specific objectives were: to examine the characteristics of the prison system in Brazil and to analyze the bibliographical production on the attributions and challenges of this work. The research used the exploratory that allowed a bibliographic review regarding the theme and analysis of data from the year 2022 provided by the Secretaria Nacional de Políticas Penais (SISDEPEN). Data on the work of social workers were obtained through bibliographical research in the annals of the 17th CBAS (Congresso Brasileiro de Assistentes Sociais). The results obtained are exposed throughout this work, which intend to contribute to the systematization of the necessary challenges for an action committed to human rights and the working class. The capitalist system, intrinsically linked to the prison system and punitive common sense, uses different strategies to accumulate wealth, developed in social inequalities. In the Brazilian context, these inequalities are decisive for the commission of numerous offenses punishable by imprisonment, affecting specific population segments of the working class. The prison system ends up working as an instrument of social control, while punitive common sense reinforces the idea that punishment is the solution to rising rates of violence. The work of social workers in prison units faces challenges and has potential. Through it, it is possible to guarantee rights and promote the rehabilitation of detainees. However, these practices were also complicated, such as the lack of specification of their attributions and the lack of articulation between professionals.