Taubaté Prison
| Director | Brazilian police |
|---|---|
| Country | Brazil |
Taubaté Prison is a correctional facility in the city of Taubaté, São Paulo state, Brazil. The facility has the distinction of being the birthplace of the gang Primeiro Comando da Capital.
Background
Taubaté Prision is located 135km (85 miles) north of São Paulo.[1]
In August 1993, the Primeiro Comando da Capital or PCC, was formed at Taubaté Prison,[2][3][4] under jail conditions that have been described as a “a Hobbesian nightmare”.[5] The gang would begin to expand their operations significantly beyond prison walls, becoming a serious organized crime threat in Brazil.[6]
The chaotic nature of the conditions inside the Brazilian prison system, including Taubaté, have made the facility a breeding ground for gang violence and rioting.[7]
On December 19, 2000, more than 220 prisoners rioted at the facility in a 30 hour standoff. Inmates held more than 20 hostages. Nine prisoners would die in the melee.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Nine die in Brazil prison riot". 2000-12-19. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Ferreira, Marcos Alan; Gonçalves, Anna Beatriz (2022-03-01). "Criminal governance and systems of parallel justice: Practice and implications in Brazilian urban peripheries". International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. 68: 100519. doi:10.1016/j.ijlcj.2021.100519. ISSN 1756-0616.
- ^ Hanson, Stephanie. "Brazil's Powerful Prison Gang | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "Relembre os 110 anos de história do Hospital de Custódia de Taubaté". www.band.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (2023-11-11). "How a Brazilian prison gang became an international criminal leviathan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Fox, Edward (2012-10-24). "Brazil's PCC Expanding Influence Throughout the Country". InSight Crime. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "Tackling the chaos in Brazil's prisons". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2025-06-08.