"Talking about prisons means talking about a factory of torture, which
produces violence and creates monsters. It is a stressful environment
and barbarism is constant," says Father Valdir João Silveira, national
coordinator of the Prison Ministry of Brazil, in the text sent to Fides. After the news of the tragedy that happened on January 4 in Anísio Jobim (Compaj) penitentiary in Manaus, where 56 people were killed, many families and institutions that collaborate in the assistance of prisoners in this center and in other penitentiary centers in the country denounced what is happening.
"We only see people who are injured, crammed cells and bad diet. What happened in Compaj, happens in different places in Brazil, in Rio Grande do Norte, in Rondonia and Parana ... It is a time bomb that could explode at any time, all over the country", reiterated Father Valdir speaking to reporters.
According to the priest, there are different disorders in the country every day, but only the most important ones are reported by the press.
The uprisings are motivated by overcrowding and perhaps will only decrease after the government takes a series of measures.
The first would be to provide legal assistance to prisoners. The priest pointed out that many prisoners awaiting trial are in a cell with convicted prisoners.
According to the latest local news agencies, the situation is not peaceful and the government, a few hours ago, authorized federal forces to go to three Brazilian states (Amazonas, Rondonia and Mato Grosso) to calm down the riots in the prisons of these regions.
After the case of Manaus, there was the massacre of Monte Cristo in Boa Vista (Roraima), where on January 6, 33 prisoners were killed.