Overcrowding in the Brazilian prison system increased again and reached the highest level since 2019, according to data from Geopresídios, a platform of the National Justice Council (CNJ).
Currently, Brazil has around 784 thousand people in prison distributed across more than 1,800 prison units. In December last year, the prison population was approximately 726 thousand inmates, which represents an increase of approximately 58 thousand people in just six months.
In the same period, around 800 new vacancies were created in the system. Today, the country has approximately 484 thousand vacancies, an insufficient number to meet current demand. As a result, the prison occupancy rate reached 160%, the highest rate recorded since 2019, when it reached 166%.
The topic gained prominence after the approval, by the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the Chamber of Deputies, of the proposal that reduces the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years old. If the measure advances in Congress and is approved, teenagers aged 16 and 17 could start serving sentences in the common prison system, which, according to experts and parliamentarians involved in the debate, could further increase the pressure on the prison structure.
The proposal must still be analyzed by a special committee of the Chamber before going to a plenary vote.
