Failure exposed
Brazil denounced in the IACHR for violence and overcrowding in prisons and youth detention centers
The Brazilian prison system will be denounced by 32 national and international human rights organizations in the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS) this week.
In thematic hearings scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, the organizations will confront representatives of the Brazilian government with information on torture, mistreatment, poor hygiene and health conditions, mass incarceration and overcrowding in the country’s prisons and youth detention centers. The meetings will take place in the headquarters of the IACHR in Washington, DC.
The hearing requests were submitted in January 2017, in the wake of the clashes that left 126 detainees dead at a number of prisons across the country.
The first request, formulated by 10 organizations, requested a public hearing on the policy of mass incarceration in Brazil and the occurrence of torture and mistreatment during the criminal prosecution stage and in detention centers.
In addition to prison overcrowding and reports of violence, the document sent to the IACHR also denounces the systematic use of pre-trial detention – with these detainees representing 41% of the entire prison population according to data from December 2014 from the Ministry of Justice – and the collusion of the State in the violations that occur inside the prisons.
The organizations mention Provisional Measure No. 775, issued in December by the Presidency of the Republic, that diverts funding earmarked for the improvement of prison facilities to cover expenses with public security, and also the decision of the São Paulo State Court of Appeals to overturn the conviction of 74 military police officers involved in the Carandiru prison massacre in 1992.
The document calls for the Brazilian authorities to take immediate steps to promote decarceration and to prevent and combat torture and mistreatment in Brazilian prisons.
Age of criminal responsibility and youth detention
The second hearing, requested by 26 national and international organizations, will address torture in the youth detention system and the indefinite increase in the length of pre-trial detention for adolescents.
In the document sent to the IACHR in January, the organizations also denounce proposed legislation to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 and to increase maximum sentences. They claim that measures such as these represent a major setback in guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents, and they ask the Commission to monitor the situation closely.
The organizations will also question Brazil about the deaths and suicides of adolescents in detention centers across the country.
Event:
Hearing “Denouncing mass incarceration, mistreatment and torture in the Brazilian prison system”
Wednesday
March 22, at 12 noon (Brasília time)
Applicant organizations: the Association for Prison Reform (ARP), Conectas Human Rights, the Brazilian Criminal Sciences Institute (IBCCRIM), the Defenders of Human Rights Institute (DDH), the Defense of the Right to a Defense Institute (IDDD), the Sou da Paz Institute, the Land, Employment and Citizenship Institute (ITTC), Justiça Global, Pastoral Carcerária (PCrN) and the Criminal Justice Network (RJC).
Hearing “Human rights of young offenders”
Wednesday, March 22, at 10:45 am (Brasília time)
Applicant organizations: ANCED, CDHS, CEDECA Ceará, CEDECA Sapopemba, Conectas Human Rights, the Bahia State Public Defender’s Office, the Ceará State Public Defender’s Office, the Espírito Santo State Public Defender’s Office, the Goiás State Public Defender’s Office, the Mato Grosso do Sul State Public Defender’s Office, the Pará State Public Defender’s Office, the Pernambuco State Public Defender’s Office, the Rio Grande do Sul State Public Defender’s Office, DNI – DEI – DCI – the Worldwide Movement for Children’s Rights, GAJOP, GPESC, the Alana Institute, the Braços Institute, the Brazilian Criminal Sciences Institute – IBCCRIM, the Defenders of Human Rights Institute, Justiça Global, the Childhood and Youth Specialization Unit of the São Paulo State Public Defender’s Office, OMCT – SOS Torture Network, Pipa – URGS, Renade and Redlamyc.
More information on the 161st period of sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/multimedia/sesiones/161/default.asp
