RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro expressed support for the Bill to be voted on Tuesday, July 2nd, in the Federal Senate, forcing inmates to pay for their expenses in federal prisons.
“You’re welcome if you can afford it. The biggest issue in the Constitution, I don’t know if it is article 5 or 6, if I’m not mistaken, is that it has a provision that says: “in Brazil, there will be no penalties for… and there is one which is forced labor. I think that a prisoner should be forced to work,” said the president.
The president acknowledged that many inmates are working for a reduction in their sentence, but felt that this should not be an option but rather an obligation.
“I know that many work of their own free will and [the work] is scrapped in the end. However, mandatory work should exist,” he emphasized.
According to the text, which will be debated today in the Senate, the government spends R$2,400 (US$600) a month to support a prisoner.