Top court head inspects “overcrowded, violence-ridden” jail in Recife

Justice Rosa Weber, head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, made an inspection visit to the Curado Prison Complex in Recife, Pernambuco state. Its facilities have been reported by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for overcrowding and violence.

In 2018, the Inter-American Court stipulated that Brazil should make up for the degrading conditions at the complex by reworking the calculation of inmates’ jail time.

Justice Weber’s Tuesday (Apr. 4) inspection aimed to gauge the improvements made in the complex after the denunciation. It is part of a partnership with the United Nations Development Program, which seeks to improve judicial policies and overcome the challenges facing the prison system.

After the visit, she turned in her inspection reports to the state’s prison authorities. “This cannot be hidden under the rugs,” she declared.

The justice noted that the Supreme Court has detected the “unconstitutional state of affairs” in the nation’s prison facilities and urged public officials and society to help address the structural disarray facing Brazilian penitentiaries.