Social representations of prisoners at Poços de Caldas Public Prison

This paper discusses the history of prison and its mechanisms of power, and analyses the social representations of prisoners in the Po os de Caldas Public Prison, in order to raise alternatives for improving the system. 'No one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin, or their origin, or their religion. To hate, people must learn, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.' Nelson Mandela.