Human rights, torture and the prison system: an analysis of the Rio de Janeiro case in the light of the parameters established by the Inter-American Human Rights System

Abstract

Based on the investigation of the normative parameters established by the UN and, especially, by the Organization of American States, this article's main objective is to develop a critical analysis of the concept of torture, based on the commitment to racialize this debate in the field of international human rights law. The research analyzes the situation of the Rio de Janeiro prison system to discuss the practice of torture, considering the systematic violations of human rights resulting from overcrowding. This research was developed within the scope of a partnership established between the Center for Human Rights of the Law Department of PUC-Rio, with the Rio de Janeiro Mecanismo Estadual de Prevenção e Combate à Tortura, and with the Subcomissão da Verdade na Democracia - Mães de Acari. The considerations proposed in the present study are based on the analysis of international norms and jurisprudence, the annual reports published by the Mecanismo Estadual de Prevenção e Combate à Tortura, and the testimonies gathered by the Subcomissão da Verdade na Democracia - Mães de Acari. Through bibliographical research we turn to the analyses that show the undeniable connection between racism and punishment in the formation of the Brazilian justice system, in order to inscribe the discussions and mobilizations of the concept of torture in reality. It is noteworthy that the Brazilian penal system was constituted in reaction/relation to the resistance movements against the processes of domination and dehumanization of black and indigenous populations. The updates of the practices of punishment and control have racism as a common denominator, and they currently culminate in a penal system marked by mass incarceration. In this regard, as a secondary objective, the research seeks to contribute to the discussions developed on the subject that strengthen political strategies for de-incarceration. To this end, the work investigates the discussions surrounding the requirements for a practice to be categorized as torture. The distinction between torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments and its practical implications in the field of international human rights law is critically addressed.  The complexity surrounding the distinction between torture and any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is also pointed out. It is understood that these concepts are terminologies in dispute and that the effort to distinguish the terms is often justified by a tendency to not hold the state accountable for the violations committed. Subsequently, based on the analysis of the case of Pacheco Teruel and Others v. Honduras, judged by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the study discusses issues related to overcrowding in light of international parameters. The case is emblematic of the discussion on overcrowding in the prison system, since the configuration of the State's international accountability was based on the State's duty to guarantee the rights of the individuals imprisoned. In the judgment, the Court identifies that the overcrowding makes it impossible, a priori, to comply with the basic standards for guaranteeing living conditions with dignity. Subsequently, a case analysis of the Rio de Janeiro prison system is developed, in order to observe the reality of the conditions of the state penal establishments and to investigate the situation of the rights of people who are deprived of their liberty in such spaces. To do so, the research analyzes the numerical data recorded by the Mecanismo Estadual de Prevenção e Combate à Tortura in its annual reports, from the first one, which dates back to 2012, so as to understand the evolution of overcrowding and its consequences in spaces of deprivation of liberty in the Rio de Janeiro region. Furthermore, based on qualitative data from the reports of the Rio de Janeiro Mecanismo Estadual de Prevenção e Combate à Tortura, together with the testimonies of people whose lives were directly impacted by the criminal justice system, recorded by the Subcomissão da Verdade na Democracia - Mães de Acari, a diagnosis is made of the situation of the rights of people deprived of their liberty, through the following points of analysis: access to food; access to water; access to legal defense and justice; access to health; access to psychological support and social services; access to employment opportunities and education; access to sunlight and leisure activities; and personal hygiene. The analysis reveals the systematic nature of the human rights violations caused by overcrowding in Rio de Janeiro's prison system. These violations are identified as a consolidated part of the structure of the prison system, and have already led to condemnations of the Brazilian State before international bodies. It is identified that the torture conditions are also denounced in public hearings and are the subject of demands promoted by the Public Defender's Office. In addition, it is brought to discussion the fact that the Federal Supreme Court itself has already declared the unconstitutional state of affairs of the Brazilian prison system, stating that prison conditions imply the massive violation of the fundamental rights of people deprived of liberty.  It is thus concluded that the Brazilian State has no margin to allege ignorance of these violations. In turn, it is possible to affirm that the overcrowding in prisons in the state of Rio de Janeiro constitutes, in itself, a practice of torture, as the constitutive elements of the practice, regarding the international parameters, are configured. It is argued that the State relies on discourse guided by the supposed need, at any cost, to enforce the punishment to justify the arrests, which is clearly illegal due to the non-compliance of the conditions of the prisons with the Law of Criminal Executions and the international principles postulated on the treatment of incarcerated individuals. Despite the strict prohibition of torture, there is an enormous neglect by society in relation to the living conditions of people incarcerated, a result of the slave culture deeply rooted in the country. In accordance with the analyses that show the inseparable connection between racism and punishment in the Brazilian justice system, it is understood that the discourses on public security seek to relativize the violence perpetrated against non white citizens. The punitivism that permeates society is involved in the construction of a narrative about impunity, which aims to legitimize the prisons and the violations of human rights that are constitutive of the prison system.