Latest riot exposes Brazil’s inhumane prison system

Reports of a deadly prison riot in the North region has shocked Brazil. At least 57 inmates have died — 16 of them having been beheaded, with several others asphyxiated — in the city of Altamira, following a clash between drug gangs. Unless the body count rises yet further, this will be the second-deadliest riot of the year. In May, a series of attacks in prisons of the state of Amazonas killed 55.

Prison massacres have become morbidly recurrent in Brazil, as the inmate population explodes, with brutal incarceration conditions in most states. Over the past two and a half years, multiple riots left 227 dead. 

This latest massacre exposes the inhumane conditions in Brazilian prisons. Overpopulation, disrespect for human rights, and outright neglect are the rule. Brazil has the carceral infrastructure to house 415,960 inmates, but the Brazilian prison population, according to the National Justice Council, is at least 812,564 (some states have not provided full data). 

In absolute terms, Brazil has the fourth-largest prison population in the world, trailing only the U.S., China and Russia — two of which have much larger populations. And, every year, the number of detainees in Brazilian jails increases by 8.3 percent. If that pace continues, Brazil will have 1.5 million prisoners by 2025. There are currently 335 prisoners per 100,000 people in Brazil, while the world average is 144.

What is particularly striking is that well over a third of Brazil’s prison population...