Advocacia criminalista egressa do sistema penal: histórias de vida à luz da criminologia dos condenados

Abstract

This thesis investigates how the personal experience of incarceration impacts the trajectory and professional practice of criminal defense lawyers who are former inmates, based on the theoretical framework of convict criminology. Employing a qualitative approach, specifically the life history method, the research analyzed the biographical narratives of a male and a fe-male lawyer, both practicing in the state of Pará, who experienced imprisonment after com-pleting their law degrees but prior to their admission to the Brazilian Bar Association. The specific objectives were to identify theoretical contributions of convict criminology to the understanding of the brazilian prison system, to present the research participants in a bio-graphical perspective, and to examine how the prison experience influences their understand-ing of punitive institutions and the challenges faced in legal practice. The concrete circum-stances of the research led to an analysis of drug policy, due to its centrality in the phenome-non of mass incarceration. The study reveals that the experience of imprisonment offers a unique understanding of punitive practices, fostering a more empathetic and strategically in-formed legal advocacy, though marked by skepticism regarding the integrity of penal institu-tions. The research underscores the importance of incorporating the voices of former inmates into criminological production, advocating for the overcoming of administrative criminology and the punitive paradigm, acknowledging the persistence of discourses around resocializa-tion, and suggesting new investigative paths that integrate intersectional and critical perspec-tives into the debate on incarceration and criminal justice.