Inhuman, medieval conditions are the norm in Brazilian prisons where inmates have few rights. In a country where police would rather shoot a suspect than lock him up prison conditions speak to the larger issues at play.
Added: Apr 28, 2014
Hell Hole: The shocking secret world inside the walls of Brazil’s prisons
This shocking report on the inhuman, medieval conditions experienced by Brazilian prisoners defies belief. How can such an economically stable country perpetrate such blatant human rights abuses?
“We want out! The water is yellow! It’s making us sick!”. The prisoners of the Central Prison of Porto Alegre scream out of iron-barred windows. Inside, it’s a veritable museum of horrors: crumbling stone cells designed for 8 men are crammed with 40: mattresses line the floors, corridors, and even the rancid toilets, and men are literally left to rot to death. “The situation is chaotic”, says Prison Inspector Gilmar Bortolotto. He shows us the guns, mobile phones, drugs, and other weapons that are smuggled in inside the body, or by visitors or crooked staff. He explains that prison gangs impose their own rules here: “they charge [other prisoners] to sleep, to shower, for food. It’s basically a laboratory for more criminal problems”. Building new prisons, to separate repeat offenders from first timers, and the most dangerous criminals from the minor offenders, is the only way forward. Yet attributing the lack of funding for prison reforms to “the will of the people”, Gilmar seems doubtful this will ever happen. A quote from Mandela eloquently expresses his deep sense of shame: “you don’t know a country until you know that country’s prisons.”
SBS Dateline – Ref. 4811
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The problem for those in prison anywhere, is that they have lost all their rights. People don’t care about them. The US cleaned up the harsh conditions of our prisons after WW2, and for about 30 years, our prisons were at least free of abuse and were clean. Prisoners built school furniture, and stuff like that for our well funded schools. After Russia beat us into space with Sputnik, Eisenhower poured millions into our public schools. I remember it well, I was in first grade when it happened.
It appears Brazil is at a very low point, and I hope their people demand better for these prisoners. The US has privatized prisons, but now prisoners are helpless again, and I hate to think what our prisons are like today…..Ugh!
Brazil needs to wake up. They have moved so far without an oil based economy, they use solar, and are far ahead of us in so many ways. Why they treat their prisoners this way is hard to understand.
Those damn Israelis. Oh, this is about Brazil? Sorry.