Prisons in Alagoas are among the worst.

Alagoas247 - The prisons in Alagoas do not meet the requirements of the new resolution, reformulated by the National Council for Criminal and Penitentiary Policy. The existing structures are old, and the new prison in Agreste, in the municipality of Craíbas, although under construction, also does not meet the standards established by the resolution.

According to architect Suzan Cordeiro, PhD professor at the Federal University of Alagoas, specialist in prison architecture and member of the National Council for Criminal and Penitentiary Policy, the entire prison complex in the state, considered one of the worst in the Northeast according to a report by the National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office, presents unsanitary, poorly lit environments, without ventilation and with precarious structures.

Suzan Cordeiro explained that the solution to the problems of the Alagoas prison system would be the formulation of a comprehensive project for improvements in the state's prison units. According to her, what is happening currently are only palliative measures.

 "Today, what is being done is patching holes, when in fact what should be done is to plan the system already considering the increase in the prison population, which would avoid overcrowding," explained the architect.

The professor also stated that there are several errors found in the prison system not only in Alagoas, but in many other states, highlighting that it is not just about the physical structure of the prisons. Suzan pointed out errors such as the lack of training for prison officers and staff in the area of ​​human rights, since most of the training they receive deals with security issues. Another problem, according to her, is the lack of planning on the part of the public authorities.

Suzan Cordeiro is the first architect to join the National Council for Criminal and Penitentiary Policy, which, in addition to deliberating on resolutions, is responsible for inspecting prison units.

Following the revision made in 2011, published through an ordinance on November 14 of that year, the construction of new prison units must comply with new rules.

From this resolution onwards, federal funds for the construction of new prisons will only be released upon presentation of a definitive project and a complete budget. "Previously, a basic project was submitted for approval and, subsequently, for the bidding process, the final project was presented," explained the architect.

Another change is that prisons must adhere to the principle of proportionality of space. In other words, everything must be designed according to the number of people. Projects must undergo prior analysis by the Municipal Governments, Fire Department, and Health Surveillance, which was not the case before. Furthermore, ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) regulations regarding natural ventilation and lighting, accessibility, and other factors must be followed.

Unlike what the resolution dictates, the new prison in Agreste, which is being built in Craíbas, does not have the standard size for the cell windows. "Because it's being made with prefabricated elements, the size of the window frames is smaller than it should be, according to the resolution, and natural ventilation is compromised. I don't know about the other areas, because I don't know the entire project," said the architect, explaining that the Craíbas prison project was not rejected by the Council because the resource came from the State itself.

According to Suzan Cordeiro, a new prison is planned for construction within the capital's prison complex, with a capacity of 100 inmates, which is also irregular, as the resolution stipulates a capacity of 800.

The professor also said that the Ministry of Health is developing a project to place health teams to serve the prison population, and that the project will only be implemented in prisons that meet all the requirements of the resolution. In the case of Alagoas, the existing prisons and the one in Craíbas, which is under construction, should be excluded.

With gazetaweb.com