[The women who wrote in the Manicomio Nacional de Leganés after the Spanish Civil War, 1939-1952]. / Las mujeres que escribieron en el Manicomio Nacional de Leganés tras la Guerra Civil Española, 1939-1952.

This article uses the medical records of six women admitted to the Manicomio Nacional de Leganés, Madrid (Spain), in which, in addition to medical notes, there are letters and other personal documents. These unsent letters allow us to read about their complaints towards the institution, as well as to recover the voices of the inmates and their resistance to being treated like insane people. This analysis leads us to explore the double marginalization: being "women" and being "mentally ill"; it also brings us closer to building a story from the patient's point of view. The time frame is Franco's dictatorship, during which the implementation of a national-Catholic system undoubtedly reinforced the female hegemonic model of the regime.

El presente trabajo utiliza los historiales clínicos de seis mujeres internadas en el Manicomio Nacional de Leganés, Madrid (España), en los que, además de las anotaciones médicas, existen cartas y otros documentos personales. El control sobre estas cartas no enviadas nos permite escuchar las denuncias sobre la institución, así como recuperar las voces de las internas y sus resistencias a ser tratadas como locas. Este análisis nos lleva a explorar la doble marginación: ser "mujeres" y "enfermas mentales" y nos aproxima a construir una historia desde el punto de vista del paciente. El marco temporal es el franquismo, régimen dictatorial que implantó un modelo hegemónico femenino dictado por una moral nacional-católica.

Historia de los Servicios de Salud Penitenciarios en Costa Rica / History of Prison Health Services in Costa Rica

La historia de los servicios médicos penitenciarios se remonta hace aproximadamente medio siglo, en la extinta Penitenciaria Nacional, donde al igual que, durante mucho tiempo estuvo a cargo de personeros de la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS). No es, hasta que al finalizar la década de los 80's, con el cierre del centro penal ubicado en la Isla San Lucas, se logra concretar la creación de plazas de salud propias del Ministerio de Justicia y Paz (MJP). En 1993 se logra el primer convenio interinstitucional entre la CCSS y el MJP, actualizado en 1998, el cual aún se encuentra refrendado por la Procuraduría General de la República. Actualmente, el MJP cuenta con 87 plazas asignas a puestos relacionados con servicios de salud a lo largo y ancho del territorio costarricense.

The history of prison medical services goes back approximately half a century, in the now extinct National Penitentiary, where, for a long time, it was in charge of representatives of CCSS. It is not, until at the end of the 80's, with the closure of the penal center located on San Lucas Island, the creation of health centers belonging to the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz (MJP) is achieved. In 1993, the first inter-institutional agreement between the CCSS and the MJP was reached, updated in 1998, which is still endorsed by the Attorney General's Office. Currently, the MJP has 87 positions assigned to positions related to health services throughout the Costa Rican territory.

Coletivo em Silêncio: o encontro que cria um corpo político e produz vida / Coletivo em Silêncio: the encounter that creates a political body and produces life / Coletivo em Silêncio: el encuentro que crea un cuerpo político y produce vida

Este ensaio é um recorte de uma pesquisa mais ampla, a pesquisa de tese que observa a produção do corpo político como parte da manifestação das lutas contemporâneas. Nesse recorte, apresenta-se um relato de experiência, a partir de minha observação participante em um coletivo feminista de arte e educação, de luta antipunitivista e pelo desencarceramento ­ o Coletivo em Silêncio. A narrativa do trabalho apresenta também depoimentos, poesias e entrevistas concedidas à autora por mulheres atingidas pelo sistema prisional e de justiça, mulheres que foram historicamente e socialmente estigmatizadas como pessoas que não servem à sociedade e por isso podem ser descartadas. Este trabalho, que assume um caráter ensaístico, procura tornar evidentes estratégias de resistência através de práticas comunicativas e da expressão artística, e, por fim, criar espaço para que as falas dessas mulheres ressoem e possam ser escutadas.

This essay is an excerpt from a broader research, the thesis research that looks at the production of the political body as part of the manifestation of contemporary struggles. In this framework, a narrative of experiences is presented, based on my participant observation in a feminist collective of art and education, concerned with anti-punitive and de-incarceration agenda ­ Coletivo em Silêncio. The narrative also includes testimonies, poetry and interviews with women who were affected by the prison and justice system, women who were historically and socially stigmatized as people who don't fit into the society and, therefore, can be discarded. This essay seeks to give visibility for practices of communication and artistic expression as strategies of resistance and, finally, set up spaces for those speeches to be resonated and heard.

Este ensayo es un extracto de una investigación más amplia, la investigación de tesis que analiza la producción del cuerpo político como parte de la manifestación de las luchas contemporáneas. En esta sección se presenta un relato de experiencia, basado en la observación participante en un colectivo feminista de arte y educación, anti-punitivo y contra el encarcelamiento ­ Coletivo em Silêncio. La narrativa de esta obra también incluye testimonios, poesía y entrevistas dadas a la autora por mujeres afectadas por el sistema penitenciario y judicial, mujeres que fueron histórica y socialmente estigmatizadas como personas que no sirven a la sociedad y, por tanto, pueden ser descartadas. El trabajo, que asume un carácter ensayístico, busca evidenciar estrategias de resistencia a través de la comunicación y la expresión artística y, finalmente, criar espacios para que sus discursos resuenen y puedan ser escuchados.

The biological wellbeing of the working-poor: The height of prisoners in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 1885-1939.

As a way to contribute to the debate on social inequality, poverty, and well-being in Argentina's long-term development, this article presents new evidence on the stature of prisoners in Buenos Aires province, the richest province in the Pampa region. The evidence shows very modest gains in the stature of prisoners for the period 1885-1939. This finding clearly indicates the persistence of early childhood malnutrition and poor health among families of the working-poor in the small towns of Buenos Aires province. Five decades of modest stature growth underscores the limitation of state policies of education, sanitation, and social reform in elevating the health and nutrition conditions of the working-poor. At the heart of the pampas, in the context of a successful food exporting economy, a working-class population cursed by the combination of low human capital and social vulnerability failed to attained a substantial improvement in their biological wellbeing.

[The (in)salubrity of prison life and other causes of death in Porto Alegre Prison, 1855-1888]. / A (in)salubridade do cárcere e outras causa mortis na Casa de Correção de Porto Alegre, 1855-1888.

The article analyzes the flow of penal sensitivities in relation to medical and health care provided to prisoners in Porto Alegre Prison between 1855 and 1888. The internalization and the instrumentalization of concepts such as "humanity" and "civilization," especially by those individuals involved directly or with strong chances of influencing changes pertaining to penal issues, are observed. Indeed, in addition to generating favorable public opinion, the concerns of governing authorities and leading lights led to the development of concrete measures and practices that increased the minimum subsistence offered to the imprisoned class. This process, however, was far from linear and harmonic as witnessed by the diseases and the precariousness of prison life.

A (in)salubridade do cárcere e outras causa mortis na Casa de Correção de Porto Alegre, 1855-1888 / The (in)salubrity of prison life and other causes of death in Porto Alegre Prison, 1855-1888

O artigo analisa o fluxo das sensibilidades penais em relação aos cuidados médico-sanitários dispensados aos presos da Casa de Correção de Porto Alegre entre 1855-1888. São observadas a interiorização e a instrumentalização de conceitos como “humanidade” e “civilização”, sobretudo por parte daqueles indivíduos envolvidos diretamente ou com fortes chances de influenciar transformações concernentes às questões penais. Com efeito, além de gerar opinião pública favorável, as apreciações de governantes e notáveis levavam ao desenvolvimento de medidas e práticas concretas que aumentavam os mínimos vitais oferecidos à massa reclusa. Esse processo, entretanto, esteve longe de ser linear e harmônico como demonstram as doenças e a precariedade do cárcere.

The article analyzes the flow of penal sensitivities in relation to medical and health care provided to prisoners in Porto Alegre Prison between 1855 and 1888. The internalization and the instrumentalization of concepts such as “humanity” and “civilization,” especially by those individuals involved directly or with strong chances of influencing changes pertaining to penal issues, are observed. Indeed, in addition to generating favorable public opinion, the concerns of governing authorities and leading lights led to the development of concrete measures and practices that increased the minimum subsistence offered to the imprisoned class. This process, however, was far from linear and harmonic as witnessed by the diseases and the precariousness of prison life.

Neurobehavioral disorders locked in Alcatraz: case reports on three famous inmates / Distúrbios neurocomportamentais presos em Alcatraz: relatos de caso em três famosos presidiários

The Alcatraz prison, with its picturesque surroundings and fascinating life stories of its inmates, has been the subject of a number of films and publications. The authors take a closer look at the biographies of “Al Capone”, Robert “Birdman” Stroud and “Mickey” Cohen. These legendary American mobsters shared not only a history at “The Rock”, but also a history of neuropsychiatric diseases, ranging from neurosyphilis to anti-social, borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

A prisão de Alcatraz, com sua atmosfera pitoresca e as fascinantes histórias de seus prisioneiros, foi objeto de vários filmes e publicações. Os autores focam nas biografias de “Al Capone”, Robert “Birdman” Stroud and “Mickey” Cohen. Estes legendários gangsteres americanos tem em comum não apenas suas penas cumpridas no “Rochedo”, mas também uma história de doenças neuropsiquiátricas, de neurosífilis a personalidades anti-sociais, “borderline” e obsessivo-compulsivas.

Neurobehavioral disorders locked in Alcatraz: case reports on three famous inmates.

The Alcatraz prison, with its picturesque surroundings and fascinating life stories of its inmates, has been the subject of a number of films and publications. The authors take a closer look at the biographies of "Al Capone", Robert "Birdman" Stroud and "Mickey" Cohen. These legendary American mobsters shared not only a history at "The Rock", but also a history of neuropsychiatric diseases, ranging from neurosyphilis to anti-social, borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

Los torturadores medicos: medical collusion with human rights abuses in Argentina, 1976-1983.

Medical collaboration with authoritarian regimes historically has served to facilitate the use of torture as a tool of repression and to justify atrocities with the language of public health. Because scholarship on medicalized killing and biomedicalist rhetoric and ideology is heavily focused on Nazi Germany, this article seeks to expand the discourse to include other periods in which medicalized torture occurred, specifically in Argentina from 1976 to 1983, when the country was ruled by the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional military regime. The extent to which medical personnel embedded themselves within the Proceso regime's killing apparatus has escaped full recognition by both scholars and human rights activists. This article reconstructs the narrative of the Proceso's human rights abuses to argue that health professionals knowingly and often enthusiastically facilitated, oversaw, and participated in every phase of the "disappearance," torture, and mass murder process.

Escravos e cidadãos na Ilha Grande: a alvorada republicana demorou a chegar / Slaves and citizens on Ilha Grande: the dawning of the Republic came slowly

Apresenta a Ilha Grande, distrito de Angra dos Reis, sua inserção na economia mercantil de subsistência e a memória da escravidão que se encontra no Registro Civil de Angra dos Reis. O Almanaque Laemmert informa que esse distrito possuiu o maior número de escravos do município, a partir da década de 1870. Seus proprietários, em sua maioria, eram senhores de poucos escravos, e as propriedades majoritariamente pequenas. O Registro Civil de Angra dos Reis não se esqueceu da escravidão depois de maio de 1888. Várias comunicações de nascimento e falecimento qualificaram as pessoas, informando sua condição anterior de escravo. Mesmo no século XX, os escrivães não deixaram de qualificar vários cidadãos republicanos como ex-escravos.

The article introduces Ilha Grande, a district in the municipality of Angra dos Reis, and describes its role within the subsistence market economy and the memory of slavery as found in the Angra dos Reis Civil Records. According to the Almanaque Laemmert, this district had the largest number of slaves in the municipality as of the 1870s. Most owners had few slaves, and the majority of landholdings were small. The Angra dos Reis Civil Records did not forget slavery after May 1888. A number of birth and death notifications describe the persons in question as former slaves. Even in the twentieth century, clerks continued to describe various republican citizens as ex-slaves.

Doenças, alimentação e resistência na penitenciária da Bahia, 1861-1865 / Diseases, food, and resistance in the Bahia penitentiary, 1861-1865

Apresenta um estudo sobre as doenças e as condições de alimentação dos presos da Casa de Prisão com Trabalho em Salvador, Bahia, nos primeiros anos de seu funcionamento. Analisa suas estratégias em busca de tratamento médico e de uma alimentação digna, e destaca também como os presos se apropriavam das novas normas oficiais para resistir e conquistar espaços de respiração dentro do novo modelo de aprisionamento pretendido pela primeira penitenciária da Bahia. Demonstra que nem mesmo privados de necessidades tão básicas, como as relacionadas a saúde e alimentação, os presos se tornaram vítimas passivas do novo sistema prisional; pelo contrário, atuaram ativamente na construção da própria história.

This study on prisoners' diseases and food conditions in the early days of operation of the Casa de Prisão com Trabalho (labor penitentiary) in Salvador, Bahia, analyzes prisoner strategies for obtaining medical treatment and decent food. In their resistance and struggle to achieve more breathing room within the new prison model, which authorities hoped to implement at Bahia's first penitentiary, prisoners themselves took advantage of the new official norms. Even when deprived of such basic necessities as health and food, prisoners were not passive victims of the new prison system but instead engaged actively in the construction of their own history.

The cross politics of Ecuador's penal state.

This essay examines inmate "crucifixion protests" in Ecuador's largest prison during 2003-04. It shows how the preventively incarcerated-of whom there are thousands-managed to effectively denounce their extralegal confinement by embodying the violence of the Christian crucifixion story. This form of protest, I argue, simultaneously clarified and obscured the multiple layers of sovereign power that pressed down on urban crime suspects, who found themselves persecuted and forsaken both outside and within the space of the prison. Police enacting zero-tolerance policies in urban neighborhoods are thus a key part of the penal state, as are the politically threatened family members of the indicted, the sensationalized local media, distrustful neighbors, prison guards, and incarcerated mafia. The essay shows how the politico-theological performance of self-crucifixion responded to these internested forms of sovereign violence, and were briefly effective. The inmates' cross intervention hence provides a window into the way sovereignty works in the Ecuadorean penal state, drawing out how incarceration trends and new urban security measures interlink, and produce an array of victims.

The seed of abundance and misery Peruvian living standards from the early republican period to the end of the guano era (1820-1880).

This paper examines 19th-century Peruvian heights from the early republican period to the end of the guano era (1820-1880). Analyzing male and female prisoner heights from the Lima penitentiary, we find that the physical stature of the lower classes stagnated throughout the period. In spite of the substantial profits generated by Peru's chief export product, guano, these revenues apparently did not filter down to benefit ordinary laborers.

Nineteenth century Mexican statures in the United States and their relationship with insolation and vitamin D.

The use of height data to measure living standards is now a well-established method in economics. However, there are still some populations, places and times for which the comparison across groups remains unclear. One example is 19th century Mexicans in the US. This study demonstrates that after comparing the statures of Mexicans born in Mexico and the US the primary source of the stature difference between the two groups was birth year, and the stature gap increased as the US economy developed while the Mexican economy stagnated. Moreover, the stature growth of Mexicans born in the US was related to vitamin D, and the Mexican relationship between stature and insolation was more like that of Europeans than Africans.

Trascendiendo apariencias: historias de mujeres en reclusión / Going beyond appearances: women inmates' stories

El presente estudio tiene un carácter piloto – exploratorio, y se efectuó para identificar algunos factores psicosociales asociados a la conducta delictiva, presentes en la historia de 50 mujeres con antecedentes de haber sufrido por lo menos 10 años de violencia familiar, recluidas por la comisión de tres modalidades delictivas: 8 por homicidio, 12 por robo y 30 por tráfico ilícito de drogas en un Penal de mujeres de Lima. En este trabajo se presentan los hallazgos preliminares pues la investigación se halla en curso como parte de un estudio más amplio sobre violencia familiar y modalidad de conducta delictiva en mujeres.

This is pilot research study to identify some psychosocial factors associated with the criminal conduct, present in the life stories of 50 women, imprisoned in a Women’ Jail of Lima for having committed three criminal acts modalities: 8 for homicide, 12 for robbery and 30 for drug dealing, with backgrounds of having suffered at least 10 years of family violence. As the investigation is in process, the results presented in this work are preliminary. This research is part of a more extensive study on family violence and women’ criminal conducts modality.