THE GOIÁS PENITENTIARY SYSTEM AND THE REHABILITATIVE FUNCTION OF PUNISHMENT

limits and possibilities

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which the Goiás penitentiary system gives concrete effect to the rehabilitative function of punishment and identifies the factors that restrict or expand its implementation. The central research problem is whether the low effectiveness of rehabilitation in Goiás stems from the lack of legal regulation or, above all, from concrete difficulties in implementing penal enforcement, such as overcrowding, shortage of vacancies, structural precariousness, and weak integration among custody, education, work, and post-release support policies. The study aims to analyze the limits and possibilities of implementing this function through the articulation of legal grounds, institutional diagnosis, and public reintegration policies. It adopts a qualitative, descriptive-analytical, and applied approach, combining bibliographical review, normative and case-law analysis, and the examination of institutional documents. At the empirical-documentary level, the article relies on public and secondary materials, such as institutional reports, administrative data, and academic studies on the Goiás prison system, especially those that record the perceptions of penal enforcement professionals and released persons. The selection considered thematic relevance, territorial focus on Goiás, timeliness of the information, and the ability of the documents to support a qualitative analysis of the obstacles to social reintegration. The study reconstructs the constitutional and statutory foundations of rehabilitation, examines recent precedents from the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court and the Superior Court of Justice on penal enforcement, and presents a diagnosis of the Goiás penitentiary system. The findings indicate that the rehabilitative function is acknowledged at the normative level, yet remains constrained by the gap between legal prescriptions and the material conditions required for implementation. It is concluded that its effectiveness depends on interinstitutional coordination, sustained investment, and qualified follow-up before, during, and after the serving of the sentence.