The Senate voted on Tuesday (20/02) on a bill that eliminates the temporary release of prisoners on holidays and commemorative dates, popularly called “saidinhas”. Approval occurred with 62 votes in favor and 2 against.
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The topic became the focus of discussions and mobilized sectors of the political class after the death of Military Police Sergeant Roger Dias da Cunha, 29, shot during a chase by a man who was on temporary leave in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.
Current Legislation
Current legislation allows judges to authorize inmates in the semi-open regime to leave jail in three cases:
- family visits
- professional, secondary, and higher education courses
- activities to return to social life
Proposed Change
The project reported by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) eliminates two possibilities — visits and social activities —, maintaining only the authorization for temporary departure for studies and work outside the prison system.
It is based on these two possibilities revoked by the proposal that the so-called “saidões” occur, which include thousands of prisoners on specific commemorative dates, such as Christmas and Mother’s Day.The project also provides for a criminological examination — which covers psychological and psychiatric issues — as a requirement for regime progression.
Analysis:
The project that proposes changes to the Penal Execution Law, aiming to end the so-called “outings” or “saidinhas” of prisoners, has faced criticism from experts. The main concern lies in the lack of effective policies aimed at the reintegration of inmates, which could result in facilitated recruitment by criminal factions.
It is crucial to recognize that the benefit of “outings” is intended to provide prisoners with the opportunity to gradually reacquire social and family ties, preparing them for reintegration. The absence of concrete actions in this regard can make inmates more likely to become easy targets for recruitment by criminal factions, which often emerge to demand better living conditions for inmates.
Furthermore, it is important to consider that the withdrawal of this right already acquired by prisoners can intensify tempers and potentially result in violent reactions on the part of criminal factions, which historically use dissatisfaction with the prison system as a justification for their actions.
Source: G1 [1] [2]; Folha de São Paulo.
