Carandiru Penitentiary, Former prison complex in Santana district, São Paulo, Brazil.
Carandiru Penitentiary was a prison complex in the Santana district that spread across several multi-story blocks with long corridors connecting cell wings. Each wing contained rows of barred doors leading to dormitories where inmates lived in close quarters.
Samuel das Neves designed the complex in 1920 to respond to Brazil's updated penal code, which called for modern detention facilities. The structure was demolished in December 2002 after decades of overcrowding and violence led to its closure.
Physician Drauzio Varella documented his experiences at the facility in a book that was later adapted into a critically acclaimed motion picture.
The preserved museum wing sits next to Carandiru Metro Station and is easy to reach on foot. Visitors should prepare for a somber and moving experience that sheds light on a dark chapter in Brazilian justice.
The grounds now hold Parque da Juventude, a sprawling public park with sports fields and green spaces. This transformation from a site of confinement to a place for recreation and youth marks a deliberate shift in the city's landscape after demolition.
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