Almost 38 thousand prisoners will be released on the streets of São Paulo

The so-called ‘temporary leave’ at the end of the year will put almost 38 thousand prisoners on the streets in the state of São Paulo alone.

They will have 12 days of unattended freedom starting tomorrow. Electronic anklets will monitor only a small group of inmates.

The return is scheduled for Jan. 3. By law, only prisoners in the process of ‘resocialization’ can benefit from the temporary release.

It is granted only to those who, among other requirements, are serving time in the semi-open regime with authorization for temporary exits and to those who have external work.

Statistics show that some of them commit crimes during this period, such as robbery and drug trafficking.

Some take advantage of the so-called ‘saidinha’ to escape. They are entitled to five ‘saidinhas’ per year.

In 2018, more than 300 prisoners were arrested during the temporary exits. The number was 22% higher than in 2016. Among the crimes committed are feminicide, murder of witnesses, and Federal Police delegates.

Last year, more than 1.6 thousand prisoners did not return to the state jails after New Year’s Eve.

Usually, the benefit is given to inmates who meet requirements such as good behavior, having been in prison for a certain amount of time, being paraplegic, quadriplegic, suffering from complete blindness, and being the mother of children under 18.

They must also maintain good behavior while serving their sentences and not be subject to prosecution for another crime committed with violence or serious threat against a person.

With the changes in the law since 2020, those convicted of heinous crimes are no longer eligible for the “short leave”.

The exception is for those who already had the right acquired before the change in legislation, such as Suzane von Richthofen, who was convicted for the murder of her parents in 2002.

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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief