In Brazil, get out of jail sooner by hitting the books
(Read article summary)Brazil has proposed legislation to shorten prison sentences in exchange for taking classes. It could alleviate overcrowding in an overtaxed prison system.
Brazilian legislators have passed an innovative law to deal with overcrowding and high recidivism in Brazil’s prisons: one day less in prison for every 12 hours spent in the classroom, reports Folha de São Paulo. As world population continues to surge past 7 billion people, prison overcrowding and repeat incarceration have become major policy problems around the world.
Statistics from a 2010 report show that there are 440,864 prisoners in Brazil’s prison system and a total of 299,597 spots, meaning that prisons are 140,000 prisoners over capacity. The law already provides for one day less in prison for every three days of performed labor, but the new measures, introduced by legislator Cristovam Buarque (PDT-DF), will accelerate the pace at which prisoners may shorten their sentences.
