The wall that surrounds the Federal Penitentiary in Brasília does not have that name for nothing. The giant security measure is nine meters high and up to 16 meters deep, which is to prevent possible attacks by dynamite or excavations.
The difference between the prison in Brasília and the other four units – Porto Velho (RO), Campo Grande (MS), Catanduvas (PR) and Mossoró (RN) – are the towers, which are part of the wall. There are four, with surveillance points at the top and counterattack in case of any external or internal complications. Federal criminal police monitor everything that happens there day and night – even with binoculars.
A CNN It is the first team to climb to the top of the wall's towers to report. From above, it is possible to see the size of the penitentiary and the processes of the unit, considered the safest in Latin America.
Also as part of the wall there are moats outside to prevent cars and pedestrians from entering. And a gate with eight armored layers that even withstand attacks with a .50 gun, considered one of the most powerful, which even takes down a helicopter. Inside there are four fences.
“The walls end up being additional security instruments. And which are added to the other protocols of the Federal Penitentiary System. The architectural and engineering design promotes greater security in terms of both defense and countermeasures. Helps defend against external attacks. And it is essential for the safety of the units”, he commented to CNN the director of the Federal Penitentiary System, Marcelo Stona.
The report also included experiences. There are three security barriers and no personal objects pass through the x-ray. Outside are shoes, belts, cell phones, keys, coins and any other metallic object.
The unit also has a bodyscan (body scanner), used for visitors and lawyers, which identifies possible prohibited objects. The parlor is where contact between defenders and inmates occurs. There is glass between them and a telephone for conversations. Everything is recorded.
PCC Summit
It is in the Penitentiary in Brasília where the leadership of the PCC, the largest faction in Brazil, is located. The unit houses Marcola, the organization's top boss; Fuminho, Marcola’s right-hand man; and Marcolinha, Marcola's brother.
The penitentiary also receives two people involved in the Marielle Franco case, the councilwoman murdered in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. Maxwell Corrêa, appointed as responsible for monitoring the councilwoman's steps and destroying the car used in the crime; and the former head of the Civil Police of Rio, delegate Rivaldo Barbosa, named as one of the masterminds.
There are 208 cells divided into four areas. When the prisoner arrives at the Federal Penitentiary System, he spends 20 days in inclusion and then goes to the wing with the other prisoners, each in his own cell.
A CNN also entered one of them.
It is 7 square meters, with a concrete bed, mattress, clothes available to the prisoner, as well as a towel, blanket and personal hygiene items, such as deodorant, soap and toothpaste. The detainee also receives cell cleaning products, as he is obliged to keep it clean.
There is no shower on site. Bathing is done through a pipe, which drops warm water from the ceiling.
The prisoner also has letters to write, at most, five per week. And he can choose a book to read.
“Here we work with this rigid system. One prisoner per cell and that he will spend 22 hours in the cell and two hours on the sunny patio, without access to television or electricity. It is a very different custody regime. It was a model project built with the University of Brasília (UnB) and which will be extended to other federal penitentiaries”, explains the director of the penitentiary, Amanda Teixeira, a career federal criminal police officer.
Model to be followed
The investment for the wall in Brasília was R$46 million. The measurement of the wall in the other units was already in the government's plans, but was accelerated due to the unprecedented escape in Mossoró. In February, Deibson Nascimento and Rogério Mendonça escaped from the federal penitentiary. After 51 days of searches, they were recaptured in Marabá, Pará, and returned to the federal system.
“The wall, the towers, make up additional security equipment for the federal penitentiary. It is our protection area, our first combat”, adds the unit director.
Marcelo Stona details that in Porto Velho the wall is already under construction. In Mossoró, where the escape occurred, during a bidding procedure. And the other two in project. “The approximate value is 37 million, each”, concludes the director of the SPF.
Source: CNN Brasil
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