In most of the state's 144 jails and prisons, authorities long ago lost virtually all control over the activities of their 125,000 inmates, living in conditions condemned as inhumane by human rights groups.
And where the guards failed, a remarkably organized and disciplined gang has taken hold: the First Capital Command, whose leaders are accused of launching a wave of violence on Sao Paulo's streets in the last three months that killed nearly 200 people.
The imprisoned gang leaders allegedly ordered the attacks by cell phone to block the transfer of 700 of their members to the highest security prisons in the far western tip of Sao Paulo state.
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