Brasília - Approximately 17,000 people have died in Brazilian prisons over the last ten years, and experts suggest that at least some of these deaths could have been prevented. The number of deaths recorded from 2013 to June 2023 was obtained by Folha after 75 requests under the Law of Access to Information to states and the Sisdepen, a data collection tool for the Brazilian prison system linked to Senappen (National Secretariat for Penal Policy), under the Ministry of Justice.
A portion of this data, covering the years 2018 to 2022, was analyzed by Vital Strategies, a global organization composed of experts and researchers working with governments. According to them, 95% of these deaths occurred due to avoidable causes. The analyzed information reveals that half of the deaths in Brazilian prisons from 2018 to 2022 involved individuals under 38 years of age.
Epidemiologist Fátima Marinho points out the precariousness of official data and the significant number of deaths related to perforated ulcers, which is uncommon in the Brazilian context and treatable.