This article analyzes patterns of victimization within the largest prison establishment in Bahia, using data from a screening survey with 591 participants, 107 semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The study reveals that more than half of the inmates had been victims of some sort of material, physical or psychological violence. The article finds that these patterns are structured by the violence of the institution, the prison arrangements and the prison gangs. It also shows the influence of economic, cultural and social capital on determining levels of vulnerability among prisoners. It concludes by affirming the importance of the State re-assuming its power to impose security, turning prisons less inhumane and reducing violence in penal institutions and society at large.
Prison; Patterns of victimization; Socio-organizational processes; Prison gangs; Vulnerability
