"Cadeia sem comida é dinamite com pavio aceso, doutor": tactics of survival in Estação Carandiru, by Drauzio Varella

Abstract

The research addressed here is based on the book Estação Carandiru, by Drauzio Varella, and seeks to analyze the tactics developed by the inmates of the São Paulo's House of Detention, considered, until then, the largest penitentiary in the country, Carandiru, with the objective of locating survival strategies in the face of lack and scarcity faced in prison. Going through issues involving the concept of "gambiarra", we will discuss some of the tactics related to the food, such as "fogareiro", "recorte" and "Maria-Louca". The hypothesis we want to defend is that there is strong attachment between the "gambiarra" and survival in the penitentiary context; and "Maria Louca" is the modus operandi, in an often effective attempt to subvert the adversities experienced by convicts.