Examining penality across different regions and periods of time allows us to develop both a robust empirical imaginary and conceptual understanding of the commonalities and variation in how penal state power operates. In this article I elaborate key dimensions of penality in contemporary Latin America. Since the late 20th century, Latin American countries have undergone economic and political transformations with profound effects for the organization of their societies and the features and implications of penal state power. First, I situate research on penal state practices in Latin American countries within the broader dynamics of violence and social conflict across the region. Second, I review scholarship on the relationship between the features of penal state policies and reform in the region and the transformative, procedural and cultural dimensions of democracy. Third, I describe initiatives to expand state capacities to incarcerate criminalized people at an unprecedented scale and clarify the relationship of carceral administration to social order and political legitimacy across Latin America. I then conclude by elaborating how penality in Latin America contributes to our broader understanding of the relationship between penal power, state authority, and inequality; and I highlight three lines of inquiry for future research.

中文翻译：

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拉丁美洲的刑罚国家权力：刑罚政治社会学的案例、概念和问题

审视不同地区和不同时期的刑罚，使我们能够对刑罚国家权力运作方式的共性和变化形成强有力的经验想象和概念理解。在本文中，我详细阐述了当代拉丁美洲刑罚的主要方面。 20世纪末以来th二十世纪以来，拉丁美洲国家经历了经济和政治变革，对其社会组织以及刑事国家权力的特征和影响产生了深远的影响。首先，我将拉丁美洲国家刑罚国家实践的研究置于该地区更广泛的暴力和社会冲突动态中。其次，我回顾了该地区刑罚国家政策和改革的特征与民主的变革、程序和文化层面之间关系的学术研究。第三，我描述了扩大国家能力以前所未有的规模监禁犯罪人员的举措，并澄清了整个拉丁美洲监狱管理与社会秩序和政治合法性的关系。最后，我将详细阐述拉丁美洲的刑罚如何有助于我们更广泛地理解刑罚权力、国家权威和不平等之间的关系；我强调了未来研究的三个探究方向。