18/01/2017
                            
   
                        
                           
                            Successive prison riots point to systemic failures of penitentiary system in Brazil and the war for drug trade monopoly 
                                             
                        
                        
                            Since the beginning of 2017, 123 inmates have been killed in 5 separate prison riots across Brazil. These incidents highlighted the systemic failure of a penitentiary system that is overcrowded and under-secured. As Brazil’s incarceration rate remains high and the construction of new prisons is straggling, penitentiary centers are often more than 50% above capacity and without appropriate staffing or security measures updates.