What does prison reveal about the invisible forms of captivity that exist within us?
In Prison Within: A Latin American Prison. Bars Outside, Bars Inside, Gonzalo Leston offers a powerful firsthand account of the Uruguayan criminal justice and prison system, tracing a journey that begins with an unexpected arrest after he intervenes to protect his brother during a violent assault. From police detention and courthouse holding cells to classification units and life inside a prison module, Gonzalo Leston guides readers through the realities of incarceration, exposing the tensions, informal hierarchies, solidarities, and survival strategies that shape everyday prison life. Drawing on perspectives from criminology, sociology, psychology, and human rights studies, the narrative engages with concepts such as total institutions, surveillance, disciplinary power, trauma, and restorative justice.
Beyond its portrayal of the external prison, Gonzalo Leston reveals a deeper and more unsettling reality: the "prison within." As confinement intensifies, memories, fears, guilt, and unresolved emotional wounds emerge, creating an inner landscape of captivity that mirrors the physical institution itself. The book demonstrates how punishment extends beyond walls, routines, and regulations to encompass processes of self-confrontation and psychological reckoning. Interwoven with subtle Rioplatense musical references and melodic fragments that echo throughout the narrative, the work is firmly rooted in the cultural identity of the Río de la Plata region while offering a profound reflection on freedom, accountability, and human resilience.
This book is ideal for students, scholars, and practitioners in criminology, sociology, psychology, social sciences, human rights, prison studies, and Latin American studies, as well as general readers interested in incarceration, restorative justice, and the human dimensions of punishment.