Commission approves project that eliminates “saidness” from prisons

The Public Security and Combating Organized Crime Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (28) the bill, PL 1386/23, which abolishes the temporary release of prisoners, such as the well-known “saidões” from Natal. The text will be analyzed by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ).

According to the author of the proposal, deputy Bibo Nunes (PL-RS), the temporary departure creates insecurity for the victims of those convicted. “Numerous reports published in the press demonstrate that allowing prisoners to leave represents an increased risk for the population. The ideal is full compliance with the established sentence, without benefits”, says Nunes.

The project intends to abolish the granting of temporary departure provided for in the Criminal Execution Law. Currently, the right is granted to semi-open prisoners who meet certain requirements, such as appropriate behavior and not having been convicted of a heinous crime.

After being authorized by the criminal judge, the exits must be for the person to visit their family, attend professional courses or participate in activities that contribute to the return to social life.

One of the most recent cases – and which reignited discussions on the topic – was that of Lázaro Barbosa, wanted for several crimes and killed during a confrontation with the police on June 28. According to court files on Lázaro, in 2016, he took advantage of an “Easter getaway” to escape from the prison where he was serving a sentence for rape. He was recaptured in 2018, but fled again soon after.