Na roda

Key Points

• The episode is set in a library within the Patrícia Acioli public prison in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, where 25 men complete a questionnaire about gender roles, jealousy, and violence.
• The prison houses about 1,800 inmates, with 40% incarcerated for crimes against women, primarily physical violence and breach of protective orders.
• The Rio de Janeiro government centralized these offenders to implement a new approach: voluntary reflective groups aimed at resocialization and education.
• Lincoln, a Black man from a peripheral Rio community, leads the groups; his personal history—including his father’s imprisonment and his own experiences with masculinity—helps him connect with participants.
• The groups, run by the NGO Instituto Mapiá, consist of 8 sessions (3 per week, 50 minutes each) with rules like respecting speaking turns, accepting emotions, and avoiding politics.
• The methodology originated in feminist organizations in the 1990s, was incorporated into the Maria da Penha Law in 2006, and became mandatory as a protective measure in 2020.
• Lincoln’s approach uses informal language and shared backgrounds to build trust, even within the prison’s faction dynamics, aiming to challenge norms around masculinity and violence.

Summary

The transcription describes an episode of the podcast "Rádio Novela Presenta" hosted by Branca Viana, which takes place in a library inside the Patrícia Acioli public prison in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. The setting includes books, a retroprojector, motivational posters, and scientific curiosities. Twenty-five men of varying ages arrive and sit at school desks, while a twenty-sixth man distributes a handwritten questionnaire. The questions cover basic topics like religion and education, but also delve into gender roles and violence—for example, whether bathing children is a father’s task, if housework is everyone’s responsibility, how one reacts to a partner refusing sex, and whether hiding a partner’s documents out of jealousy constitutes violence. The episode warns of content involving various types of violence, including sexual violence.

The prison, named after Judge Patrícia Acioli who was murdered in 2011 by military police linked to militias, holds about 1,800 inmates. Notably, 40% of them are incarcerated for crimes against women—29% for physical violence, 26% for violating protective orders. The Rio de Janeiro government deliberately concentrated these offenders in one facility to try a new approach, as recidivism often escalates in severity (e.g., from psychological to physical violence or even femicide). The podcast’s reporters, Branca Viana and Vitor Brandalize, visited the prison in November 2024 to observe this initiative.

The program involves voluntary “reflective groups” for the inmates, a method that originated in feminist organizations in the 1990s working with female victims. It was later extended to male aggressors, incorporated into the Maria da Penha Law in 2006, and made a mandatory protective measure in 2020. The groups at Patrícia Acioli, started in January 2025, are run by the NGO Instituto Mapiá, led by Lincoln—a Black man from a peripheral Rio community. Lincoln’s personal story—including his father’s imprisonment, his upbringing by women, becoming a father at 22, and his own journey through university and various jobs—helps him relate to the inmates. He emphasizes breaking stereotypes about Black fathers and challenging the notion that all men are potential rapists, a confrontation he faced himself.

The groups consist of 8 sessions (three times a week, 50 minutes each), with 25-30 men per group. Rules include respecting speaking turns, accepting emotions (e.g., crying), avoiding politics, and ensuring everyone participates. Lincoln uses informal language and acknowledges the prison’s faction dynamics (e.g., greeting with “Rael,” the faction’s name) to build trust. He notes that the same problematic attitudes he encounters in corporate settings appear in prison, highlighting that violence is not limited to any social class. The goal is to resocialize and educate men about the Maria da Penha Law, encouraging reflection on masculinity and non-violent conflict resolution. The episode concludes by contrasting this preventive approach with Brazil’s heavy investment in policing and prisons, which has not reduced crime or violence, and promotes the work of the Brazil Human Rights Fund in building a more democratic and humane security model.