Brazil Advances Prison Reform and Strengthens Penalties for Crimes Against Security Agents
Brazil pushes forward with a national prison reform plan alongside new legislative measures to increase penalties for crimes against security agents, aiming to improve public security and prison conditions.
- • Plano Pena Justa established 367 goals to improve Brazilian prisons, reduce overcrowding, and humanize the penal process.
- • São Paulo state has implemented 33% of its 195 prison reform goals under Plano Pena Justa.
- • A bill to double penalties for crimes against security agents was approved by the Chamber of Deputies' Public Security Commission.
- • The penalty increase bill includes serving a minimum of 35% of sentences before progression and is pending further constitutional review.
Key details
Brazil is advancing significant initiatives to reform its prison system and enhance public security through legislative and institutional reforms. A key development is the Plano Pena Justa, a comprehensive national prison reform plan established by the National Justice Council (CNJ) and the Ministry of Justice in response to a Supreme Federal Court ruling declaring current prison conditions unconstitutional. The plan specifies 367 goals aimed at controlling overcrowding, ensuring work and educational opportunities for inmates, and improving custodial conditions. São Paulo state, which submitted a local plan with 195 goals, has achieved 33% of them so far, with others in progress or planned for implementation by 2026-2028. The Plano Pena Justa seeks to reduce the prison population through alternatives to incarceration, humanize the penal process, and promote better support for inmates and former inmates, thereby improving the social conflict resolution approach of the Brazilian state.
In parallel, the Chamber of Deputies’ Commission of Public Security has approved a bill to increase penalties for crimes against public security agents and certain public servants while performing official duties. Bill 3255/25 proposes doubling penalties for crimes including inducing suicide, defamation, threats, kidnapping, robbery, and extortion against security personnel. Initially suggesting tripled penalties, the proposal was moderated by rapporteur Deputy Coronel Assis to maintain proportionality consistent with penal law principles. The bill also includes amendments to the Penal Execution Law requiring offenders to serve at least 35% of their sentence before eligibility for regime progression. The measure will next be reviewed by the Committee on Constitution and Justice before heading for a full vote in the Chamber and later the Senate.
These combined efforts reflect Brazil’s urgent need to both improve prison conditions and strengthen protections for those safeguarding public safety. The reform plan and legislative measures highlight a multifaceted approach to public security challenges by addressing systemic prison issues and enhancing legal deterrents against violence targeting security personnel.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
