aims to understand the reality of a female prison on the border region between Brazil and Bolivia, revealing signs of institutional violence in that prison. We understood that institutional violence refers to the set of factors, arising from the logic that supports the action of the prison unit, which prevents a full resocialization of the prisoners. We verified that overcrowding and facilities precariousness, together with the lack of assistance and the lack of opportunities for study and work during the period of imprisonment, represent signs of institutional violence towards the detainee, harming her social (re)insertion process. © 2018 Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. All Rights Reserved.