In one of the most notorious events in recent Brazilian history, 111 inmates were killed—102 by military police—during a riot at Penitenciária de Carandiru in 1992. The prison was pulled down 10 years later and the São Paulo state government built this park in its place.

The Parque da Juventude (“Park of Youth”) is divided into three main areas. The sports centre includes 10 courts and tracks for skating, roller-skating and jogging. The leisure centre opens out into a series of small green hills which are often populated by readers, picnickers and sunbathers. The third space is dedicated to culture and education. It offers technical courses and digital inclusion programs, as well as a full schedule of shows and performances. A library and a dance school will soon be added.

Most of the activities are free and range from court sports to taekwondo classes to the use of computers and even to a “nature walk” through the ruins of Carandiru.