Social movements, human rights and the people deprived of liberty in the context of COVID-19: The legacy of defending the right to health in prisons

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study that aimed to characterize the role of social movements in the face of COVID-19 in defending the right to health of Person Deprived of Liberty (PDL) in Brazil. In addition to historical records, it sought to identify repercussions that serve as a legacy for future strategies. A qualitative analysis was carried out of documents released by social organizations, Justice bodies, scientific entities, and international organizations from March 2020 to January 2021. A total of 77 documents were categorized relating to: 1) Inclusion of PDL as priorities for vaccination and decarceration measures; 2) Rejection of the use of containers to house infected PDL or risk groups; 3) Suspension and return of visits postponed, with the possibility of sending supplements; 4) Extinction of teams to monitor PDL with mental disorders; 5) Obligation to send PDL bodies to Medical-Legal Institutes for identification and Death Certificate. The analysis portrayed network action by social movements to guarantee PDLs’ right to health. The demonstrations achieved considerable success in blocking proposals to set back human rights.