Conflict, Security, and Development Series

About the talk

A series of massacres in January 2017 has brought renewed attention to Brazil’s prison problems. Authorities have responded with pledges to build more detention centers, to broaden use of solitary confinement, and to deploy the military. This talk problematizes these dominant proposals for prison “reform” as myopic and misguided in their attempt to address overcrowding and gangs without tackling over-incarceration and corruption. Instead, it argues for more sustainable paths focused on decarceration and alternative crime prevention strategies.

About the speaker

Fernando Ribeiro Delgado has documented multiple prison massacres in Brazil as a prisoners’ rights litigator and fact-finder. He is a Scholar in Residence at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and a Collaborating Attorney with the Brazilian human rights NGO Justiça Global. His current research explores the intersection of state violence and corruption in the criminal justice system. Prior to joining CHRGJ, Delgado taught for six years at Harvard Law School, most recently as Senior Clinical Instructor and Lecturer on Law in the International Human Rights Clinic. Specializing in the documentation of prison and police abuse, Delgado has helped spur numerous local and national human rights reforms and has advocated against mass incarceration in his native Brazil, serving as lead counsel on multiple prisoners’ rights cases, including Matter of the Curado (Aníbal Bruno) Penitentiary Complex, Brazil concerning one the largest prisons in Latin America.

About the series

Each Tuesday, the Conflict, Security, and Development Series examines new research, discusses creative policy approaches, and highlights recent innovations in responding to the challenges of security and development in conflict and post-conflict situations. This series is co-presented by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU Law School, the Center for Global Affairs at NYU’s School for Continuing and Professional Studies, NYU’s College of Global Public Health, the Program in International Relations at NYU’s GSAS, and the Office of International Programs at NYU Wagner.