Former director who created federal prisons defends expansion – 02/25/2024 – Panel

One of those responsible for implementing the federal penitentiary model in the country, the former director of Depen (National Penitentiary Department) Maurício Kuehne says that the escape of two inmates from Mossoró (RN) “could not have happened” and states that each capital should have one of these units.

Kuehne directed Depen (currently the National Secretariat for Penal Policies) from October 2005 to July 2008, during part of President Lula’s (PT) first two terms. He worked with ministers Márcio Thomaz Bastos and Tarso Genro.

He followed the construction of four of the five federal prisons that exist today: Catanduvas (PR), Campo Grande (MS), Mossoró and Porto Velho (RO). The other is in Brasília.

“They have the same style of construction, the same conditions to prevent escapes and confine the leaders of criminal factions, or those who greatly disrupt order within the penal units”, he says.

According to the former director, there are four security barriers in each building. “For a sharp instrument or tool to enter, it is impossible to go through them. It really doesn’t work through one, through two, or through four.”

Due to all the precautions taken, he says he found the escape in Mossoró strange. “This escape could not have happened,” he says, without wanting to express an opinion on what could have failed in the security protocols.

Despite defending the model, Kuehne believes that the fences of the units could be improved and the fences could be electrified.

“Now, what I found strange was this. I mean, there are 198 cameras that should be working and were working, I don’t know, 70, 80 or 90 cameras. Why? There was some failure. This failure has to be properly investigated. “

The former director of Depen also states that each state capital should have a federal prison. “I think there should be. For the states to stop complaining that they are paying for federal prisoners, they would be in federal penal units, and the Union would have to manage it.”

According to him, when he was part of the government, the proposal for the construction of federal penal units in all states was launched — a proposal that never got off the ground.

Kuehne also says he is against the privatization of federal prisons. For him, security is a matter for the State — the Union and federated units.

“Privatization of prisons, no. Co-management or outsourcing of services, yes. But precautions have also been taken in relation to security”, he states.

“For example, in food. It has to be supervised by security. Suddenly, they could put some dangerous instrument there. So, this surveillance cannot be abdicated by the State.”

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