Defense of January 8 prisoners talks about rats in Papuda’s food

Lawyers for those detained after the acts of vandalism that occurred on January 8th filed complaints against the lunch boxes offered in the prison units of the Papuda Penitentiary Complex, in Brasília. When contacted, the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat (Seape), responsible for the location, responded to general questions from the People’s Gazettebut not about the specific cases mentioned.

According to reports sent to People’s Gazettethe lunch boxes given to the inmates contained not only food, but also pieces of rats, stones and even broken glass.

This is not the first time that the issue of food in prisons, especially in relation to 8/1 inmates, has been raised. In February, the Public Defender’s Office of the Federal District had already reported the poor food and hygiene conditions at the Federal District Women’s Penitentiary, known as Colmeia.

The situation in Papuda appears even more alarming. Taniéli Padoan, the lawyer responsible for the defense of four detainees, revealed that, after the prisoners reported the poor quality of the food, criminal police took photos of the inadequate lunch boxes, but the complaints did not result in any concrete action.

In an interview with People’s GazettePadoan highlighted the fear of inmates regarding the food provided in the prison.

“In addition to disgust, they are also feeling fear, because they have already found a lot of things in the lunchboxes, as well as rats. Straws, stones, pieces of glass, pieces of gloves, snails, etc. have already been found. This crosses all limits, because we are dealing with human beings,” she explained.

According to the lawyer, Papuda’s administration discards unsuitable lunch boxes. Sometimes, some are sent to the company responsible for supplying the food to investigate. However, Taniéli highlighted that no response was received regarding the complaints.

The poor quality of meals has led many inmates to refuse to eat lunch boxes. As a result of this refusal, inmates at 8/1 are suffering from sudden weight loss and malnutrition, as well as frequent reports of severe stomach pains.

When contacted, Seape responded in a note (read the full text at the end) that food contracts are strictly monitored by the Complex’s managers. However, in relation to the specific facts reported, Seape/DF chose not to comment.

Problems are old, says OAB-DF

The Brazilian Bar Association of the Federal District stated that the problems related to the food of prisoners are old.

The agency also pointed out that the time between production and delivery of food to prisoners could be one of the factors responsible for food deterioration.

“Due to the high number of inmates, it is necessary to produce a large amount of food very early, early in the morning. So lunch time only happens at noon. Obviously, when the lunch boxes arrive, the quality is no longer the same”, explained the OAB-DF.

>>> Full note sent by Seape:

The food contracts for meals served in prison units are the subject of extreme diligence on the part of the managers of this Department, considering that the provision of good quality food is one of the contractual aspects to be followed by the contracted companies.

Each prison unit carries out reports three times a week, on random days, on the general conditions of the food provided by the contracted company. Temperature, storage, weight item by item and whether the contracted menu is being respected are observed in accordance with ordinance ORDINANCE Nº 50, OF FEBRUARY 16, 2022.

In addition, Seape/DF has a board of executors who monitor weekly, together with the nutritionists from the contracted companies, the items made available for feeding the re-educated children as well as the storage in warehouses and the functioning of the kitchens, as stated in SERVICE PROVISION AGREEMENT No. 038/2020-SSPDF. These inspections are monitored by the Public Authorities and have a direct correlation with the principle of human dignity and other constitutional norms such as ORDINANCE Nº 08, OF JANUARY 14, 2021 and ORDINANCE Nº 50, OF FEBRUARY 16, 2022.

Seape/DF investigates all complaints relating to the penitentiary system in the Federal District and, if there is any indication of materiality, takes legal and administrative measures in the specific case.