Prison workshops
Paintings and furniture.
The São Paulo Penitentiary Museum is devoted to the history of the state's prison system. It stands in the city's North Zone on the grounds of the former Carandiru complex, once the largest prison in Latin America, whose site became the «Parque da Juventude» after it closed. The museum opened on 28 July 2014. It keeps documents, works and objects dating back to the 1920s, including paintings, sculptures and furniture made in the prison workshops, and shows aspects of prisoners' daily life through items such as improvised tattoo machines. It also tells how the original penitentiary was designed as a modern model inspired by a French prison, and how it later struggled with overcrowding. The museum suits anyone interested in the city's social history, and a visit pairs well with a walk in the large Parque da Juventude that replaced the complex. Check opening times before going.
Paintings and furniture.
A century of prisons.
Green space.
Parque da Juventude, North Zone of São Paulo
In Parque da Juventude in the North Zone, on the former Carandiru prison site.
