Young man found dead in juvenile detention center in Brasília.
A 17-year-old inmate was killed in the Santa Maria juvenile detention center in the Federal District; the Secretariat for Children and Adolescents reported that he was found "hanging," received first aid from the staff, and was taken to the hospital with the aid of life support equipment.
Brasilia 247 - A 17-year-old inmate was killed this Sunday (8) in the Santa Maria detention unit, in the Federal District. The Child and Adolescent Secretariat reported that he was found “hanging”, received first aid from the team and was taken to the hospital, with the help of equipment. According to the department, he was in the room with two other young people, who were referred to the Civil Police. The corporation is investigating the case. The boy's family, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Children's Court have already been informed about the situation. The system has capacity for 873 inmates and has 793. The number of agents on site is not disclosed for security reasons.
In December 2015, 20 youths escaped from this same unit after using knives to overpower four guards who were providing security at the guard post and were used as human shields. At least 13 teenagers were recaptured.
According to the police, the youths had the help of other teenagers who were cleaning the hallway of the Santa Maria juvenile detention center. To escape the building, the youths tied cloths together to use as a rope and climb down through a window.
Over crowded
The National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office (CNMP) released a report in 2015, pointing to a 30% overcrowding rate in juvenile detention centers in the Federal District the previous year. In other words, for every 100 available spaces, there were 130 young people detained in 2014, placing the Federal District 19th in a national ranking.
According to the study, the index worsened compared to 2013, when overcrowding was at 23,7%. Between 2013 and 2014, the Federal District expanded the total number of detention beds from 598 to 639. The number of detained youths increased from 740 to 843 during the same period. At the time, the Children's Secretariat reported that overcrowding was at 3,3%.