Federal package targets the command of factions within penitentiaries and distributes an additional R$735 million on 3 other combat fronts
The president (PT) launched this Tuesday (May 12, 2026) the . The plan distributes R$ 1.06 billion from the federal budget on 3 fronts, with the largest amount – R$ 388.9 million – destined to the financial suffocation of crime, with tracking of money laundering through FICCOs (Integrated Force to Combat Organized Crime). But it is the prison axis that concentrates the government’s political focus.
The flagship is the strengthening of the prison system: R$330.6 million to implement a maximum security standard in 138 strategic units, in the 26 States and the Federal District. The objective is to cut off the ability of faction leaders to command criminal operations from within prisons.
Measures include the acquisition of drones, body scanners, cell phone jammers, georadars and audio and video systems. The program also establishes the creation of the CNIP (National Center for Criminal Intelligence) and the total isolation of criminal leaders in maximum security units.
“80% of the cataloged leaders of criminal organizations are concentrated in these prison systems”, said the Minister of Justice, Wellington César Lima
The minister himself, however, recognized the difficulty of the goal. “It is not trivial to raise 138 prison units to a standard similar to that of federal prisons”he stated during the launch ceremony at Palácio do Planalto.
The program is formalized by a presidential decree and 4 ordinances. It is a direct consequence of the anti-faction law sanctioned in March.
The remaining resources are divided into:
- R$201 million to clarify homicides;
- R$ 145.2 million to combat arms and ammunition trafficking, with the creation of RENARM (National Network to Combat Trafficking in Arms, Ammunition, Accessories and Explosives);
- and R$10 billion in a credit line from BNDES for states and municipalities to purchase equipment and renovate prisons.
The continuity of the Public Security PEC program, which has been stopped in the Senate since March. Without it, resources are subject to variations in the Budget each year.
Research by the Brazilian Public Security Forum released on Sunday (May 10) shows that 41.2% of Brazilians identify factions or militias in their own neighborhood.
Criticisms of the Plan
Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) and former governor and presidential candidate Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) criticize the plan, arguing that the centralization of security policies harms the autonomy of the States.
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