[1] The prison was designed and built by Samuel das Neves in 1920, when it was considered a model-prison to meet the new demands of the 1890 criminal code.

It was operational from 1956 to 2002 and, at its peak, was South America's largest penitentiary, housing over 8,000 inmates.

The book was later made into a movie (Carandiru, directed by Hector Babenco), and both were highly regarded by critics and the public.

Today the Parque da Juventude complex is located on the site of the former penitentiary.

The track is featured on their 1993 album Chaos A.D.. Brazilian rap band Racionais Mc's wrote the song "Diário De Um Detento" and refers to Carandiru.