Fire brigade saves prisoner from stuck escape tunnels in Brazil!

Fire brigade saves prisoner from stuck escape tunnels in Brazil!

Rio Branco, Brasilien - A strange incident in the "Francisco de Oliveira Conde" prison in Brazil heated the minds when prisoner Alan Leandro da Silva tried to flee from the institution. He dug a tunnel, but got stuck halfway and had to be saved by the fire brigade. It is unclear how Silva could work unnoticed and why the prison management did not notice the attempt to escape earlier. While the rescue operation required the use of a compressed air hammer, he received an armchair as support because he suffered from pain. After the salvage, he was immediately brought back to his cell without further incidents. Kosmo reports on the challenges that the fire brigade had to deal with.

This escape is not the first of its kind from the "Francisco de Oliveira Conde". In January 2020, 29 prisoners who were one of the most dangerous criminal organizations of Brazil, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), were able to escape through a self -dug hole in their cell. To do this, they merged and used homemade ropes to climb over a wall. The police immediately took measures to increase security at the limits, since the criminal danger through this organization increases significantly. Wikipedia describes the situation that takes place in the context of an increasing violence in the region.

background of the Brazilian prison System

Brazil's prison system is notorious for overcrowded cells and bad conditions, with a utilization rate of 151 percent. With around 760,000 inmates, Brazil is the country with the third largest prisoner population worldwide. The experiences of prisoners in the regular system are often shaped by torture and ill -treatment. The APAC facilities offer an alternative approach that do without weapons and overseers and instead rely on re-socialization. Around 4,000 prisoners live in these facilities, such as the association founded by Mario Ottoboni, who are responsible for their everyday life. Blickpunkt Latinamerika emphasizes that this alternative form of prison shows with a relapse rate of only 15 percent impressive results.

Marlon Samuel da Silva, a former prisoner who spent almost 12 years for drug trafficking, tells of his positive experiences in an APAC, where he experienced freedom, community and respect. Despite the terrorist reports from regular institutions in which overcrowding and violence are common, the APAC model offers a promising perspective on human prison management. With financial support from the Brazilian government and the EU, the APACs are growing and could possibly serve as a model to reform the prison system in Brazil.