Understanding security within a prison environment implies the observation of a complex phenomenon: on the one hand, inmates are defined as agents of insecurity, insofar as they are the authors of criminal acts, which to the outside world represent everything that is perceived as a threat in terms of the law, order and general well-being. On the other hand, the prison is often characterised as a space riddled with fear, uncertainty and insecurity, manifest in the everyday life of prisons. Based on fieldwork in ten Portuguese male and female prisons, I explore the meaning attributed to security from inmates’ perspectives and discourses. This analysis allows us to expand and deepen our understanding of the significance of security within a population that is often excluded from this discussion, albeit invariably related with it.

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This publication is associated with the following references in the media record(s):

• Degradação das prisões (CNN)