Brazilian inmates reduce sentences by hitting the bike, books - CNN.com
But new initiatives are finding creative ways to address these issues while helping inmates and society at the same time.
Another recent program -- this one at the federal level -- allows inmates to reduce their sentence for reading books. The idea is to help inmates be better prepared for success when they reintegrate with the outside world.
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Inmates can shave four days off their sentence through each book they read, up to 48 days per year, the new law states. The "Redemption Through Reading" program, as it's known, requires the inmates to write a book report. The law goes as far as to specify that these reports must be written neatly and must not stray from the topic of the book.
The books available to inmates will include literary classics and scientific and philosophical tomes, among others.
"There is very alarming crisis in the penal system," said Leonardo Schmitt de Bem, a Brazilian professor and expert on criminal law. "Proposals like this, which reduce sentences and give a social and cultural foundation to people are very interesting."
The reading program addresses the overcrowding problem and gives inmates a cultural foundation, he said. Reading is an important tool because a large percentage of Brazilian prisoners come from poor backgrounds and have little education.
Nearly half of Brazilian inmates -- 46% -- have not completed more than nine years of basic education, according to the ministry of justice. More than 26,000 prisoners (5%) are illiterate.
The new law gives inmates something to do, and better prepares them for then they reintegrate with society, de Bem said.
"It is a necessary measure given the prison crisis in Brazil," he said.
The program has existed for several years, but was codified into the law just last month. It is a "pioneering" initiative, de Bem said, but would have much greater impact if it were imposed on all prisons, not just the federal ones, which hold just a fraction of the country's inmates.
Do you think this is a good idea? Would you support this in the Us?
But new initiatives are finding creative ways to address these issues while helping inmates and society at the same time.
Another recent program -- this one at the federal level -- allows inmates to reduce their sentence for reading books. The idea is to help inmates be better prepared for success when they reintegrate with the outside world.
A A A (resize font)
Inmates can shave four days off their sentence through each book they read, up to 48 days per year, the new law states. The "Redemption Through Reading" program, as it's known, requires the inmates to write a book report. The law goes as far as to specify that these reports must be written neatly and must not stray from the topic of the book.
The books available to inmates will include literary classics and scientific and philosophical tomes, among others.
"There is very alarming crisis in the penal system," said Leonardo Schmitt de Bem, a Brazilian professor and expert on criminal law. "Proposals like this, which reduce sentences and give a social and cultural foundation to people are very interesting."
The reading program addresses the overcrowding problem and gives inmates a cultural foundation, he said. Reading is an important tool because a large percentage of Brazilian prisoners come from poor backgrounds and have little education.
Nearly half of Brazilian inmates -- 46% -- have not completed more than nine years of basic education, according to the ministry of justice. More than 26,000 prisoners (5%) are illiterate.
The new law gives inmates something to do, and better prepares them for then they reintegrate with society, de Bem said.
"It is a necessary measure given the prison crisis in Brazil," he said.
The program has existed for several years, but was codified into the law just last month. It is a "pioneering" initiative, de Bem said, but would have much greater impact if it were imposed on all prisons, not just the federal ones, which hold just a fraction of the country's inmates.
Do you think this is a good idea? Would you support this in the Us?
