Prisões e manicômios: um estudo sobre os processos de internação no Manicômio Judiciário de São Paulo entre 1927 e 1933

Abstract

The creation of the São Paulo Criminal Asylum resulted from broader historical transformations in the administration of penal institutions. The challenge faced by the authorities was determining how to enforce a criminal sentence upon an individual who lacked the capacity to understand the unlawful nature of their actions. It is well established that individuals deemed insane were often held temporarily in prisons and police stations while awaiting transfer to psychiatric hospitals. This raises the question: what criteria did penal authorities use to request the transfer of detainees to psychiatric institutions? This study aims to examine how the establishment of a criminal asylum in São Paulo affected administrative practices and the movement of individuals between institutions. It argues that the development of administrative knowledge concerning institutions of confinement was more significant than the emergence of medical-criminological expertise regarding criminally insane individuals. A qualitative approach was employed to analyze the records of institutionalized detainees. The sources include the governor's messages to the state legislature and the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly concerning the creation of the São Paulo Criminal Asylum, which provide the historical context. The primary sources, however, consist of the medico-legal case files of institutionalized patients. Ten cases of incarcerated individuals transferred from state prisons to the São Paulo Criminal Asylum were selected for in-depth analysis.