Prisons as a nexus of institutionalized organizations and institutions

Abstract

This paper intends to understand the nexus of the set of institutionalized organizations and institutions that permeate the correctional system. It identifies how the collaboration and the friction found among the several entities of the prison service can shape and explain its performance. To this end, the paper resorts to institutional theory. It also analyses the dynamics of the Brazilian entities of the correctional sector. The authors resorted to a qualitative approach with documentary analysis and to 23 in-depth interviews with actors from three Brazilian states. The paper emphasizes that improving prison service performance indicators relies on changes in the institutional environment. It also recognizes that such changes cannot be rapidly processed.