Comando Vermelho

This article focuses on Hispanic street and prison gangs, which – along with other gangs – constitute a significant and iconic phenomenon of contemporary political discourse in the United States, as well as social and economic life in this country. In the XXI century, the prison systems of most countries continue to be characterised by…

The Comando Vermelho (CV) is one of the oldest and most influential criminal organisations in Brazil, which emerged in the 1970s in the Rio de Janeiro prison system. The Comando Vermelho was born out of the forced coexistence of political prisoners and ordinary criminals during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) in Rio de Janeiro’s prisons. In…