Brazil's prison population up 74% in seven years

Brazil's prison population surged 74% between 2005 and 2012. In 2005, the absolute number of inmates in the country was 296,919—a figure that reached 515,482 seven years later. The amount of men in jail grew 70%, whereas that of imprisoned women rose 146% in the period. In 2012, nearly a third of the prison population in Brazil could be found in São Paulo.

The figures come from a report entitled Imprisonment Map: Young People in Brazil, published Tuesday (Jun 3) by the Secretariat General of the Presidency. The survey was conducted by researcher Jacqueline Sinhoretto and is based on data from the Integrated System for Prison Data (InfoPen), connected with the Ministry of Justice.

The map reveals that the growth experienced by 13 of the country's 27 states (Federal District included) was higher than average. In Minas Gerais, second in number of detainees (45,540 in 2012), the rise reported stands at 624%. According to the research, this comes as a result of both programs aimed at the repression of crimes against life and the private penitentiaries in the state. Rio Grande do Sul showed the lowest percentage of growth in the amount of people in jail: 29%.

The study further shows that 38% of the country's prison population is made up of people under the custody of the State and have not been convicted as yet. Another 61% of those arrested have been convicted, and 1% have been imposed a security measure. Of those convicted, 69% are in closed regime (whole day in jail), 24% semi-open (work out of jail; must spend night in jail), and 7% open (similar to house arrest).

“Nearly half (48%) of the Brazilians arrested were sentenced to up to eight years in jail. In an overcrowded system, 18.7% did not have to be arrested, as they are eligible to serve alternative sentences under [Brazil's criminal law],” the text reads.

The crimes that most often lead to an arrest are those committed against property and those related to drugs, which altogether total approximately 70% of the causes of imprisonment, the study says. Crimes against life, which the report classifies as “more serious”, are the reason behind 12% of detentions.

“The joint analysis of state-by-state imprisonment and homicide rates indicates that arrests do not necessarily bring about a reduction in crimes against life, because patrolling policies focus on crimes against property and those related to drugs,” the report says.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira