Interview
André de Albuquerque Garcia
National Secretary for Penal Policies, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Brazil
We talked with André de Albuquerque Garcia, Brazil’s National Secretary for Penal Policies (SENAPPEN), who outlines the key priorities and challenges faced by the agency. He discusses
SENAPPEN’s role in shaping penal policy, managing the federal penitentiary system, and advancing initiatives to improve prison infrastructure, enhance security measures, support the social reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals, and strengthen cooperation between federal and state systems.
Which lines of action of the National Secretariat for Penal and Prison Policies are the most prioritised for your administration?
AAG: The National Secretariat for Penal Policies is a recent structure, created in 2023 to replace the former National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN). Its work focuses on two main areas: penal policy and the administration of the federal penitentiary system.
In the field of penal policy, SENAPPEN coordinates the implementation of the Penal Enforcement Law across the states, ensuring compliance with legal assistance requirements and financing policies through the National Penitentiary Fund (FUNPEN). This fund is crucial for prison management, providing
resources for the construction and renovation of prison facilities, as well as for the purchase of equipment, vehicles, and weapons.
At the same time, the Secretariat directly manages the federal penitentiary system, which plays a specific role in tackling organised crime. Federal facilities house individuals transferred from state systems due to their high security risks and leadership roles in criminal factions. To support this mission, SENAPPEN relies on the Federal Penal Police, responsible for the security and management of these units.
Beyond prison management, SENAPPEN develops strategic actions focused on prison intelligence. One example is the Map of Criminal Organisations, an essential tool for addressing organised crime both inside and outside correctional facilities. This map provides critical information that supports public security intelligence efforts nationwide.
SENAPPEN also conducts operations such as Operation MUTE, aimed at cracking down on the entry of mobile phones into state prisons. This operation arose from the need to impact this communication tool of criminals in custody, a critical problem in some regions of the country. In addition to this, SENAPPEN carries out other joint operations with the federal police, state police and state penal police.
In this way, SENAPPEN acts simultaneously in public security and penitentiary policy, combining intelligence, funding and oversight to strengthen the management of the Brazilian prison system.
What are the main challenges facing state prison systems in terms of infrastructure maintenance and modernisation?
AAG: The penitentiary infrastructure in many states in Brazil faces very precarious conditions. One of the main challenges, paradoxically, is not the lack of resources, but the difficulty in managing these funds.
Many states have access to funding from the National Penitentiary Fund, but face local administrative obstacles that delay or prevent the execution of renovation and construction projects.
To tackle this problem, SENAPPEN is reinforcing its engineering and architecture team to help unblock stalled projects and accelerate their implementation. This strategy includes deploying technical teams, including engineers and architects, directly to the states to provide guidance on project execution. These teams will work to unblock paralysed projects, offering technical support and helping state officials to align their projects with the requirements of existing agreements. The goal is to ensure that renovations and new constructions are completed within the established deadlines and with the necessary efficiency.
In 2025, our strategy is to start a concentrated effort in two states — Pernambuco and Roraima — and to expand operations to two additional states every quarter.
Pernambuco was selected due to the complexity of its prison system and the large number of paralysed works, which need direct intervention to resume. Roraima, on the other hand, faces a different challenge: the impact of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which has resulted in a significant increase in the number of foreign nationals in custody, placing even more pressure on the already limited space in the state’s prison system. SENAPPEN will allocate resources and teams to the construction of a new facility to address Roraima’s vacancy deficit.
Beyond these specific actions, the implementation of the Pena Justa (Fair Sentence) Plan will mark a major step in modernising the prison system. Developed by SENAPPEN in partnership with the National Council of Justice, this plan comes as a response to a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court, which recognised the existence of an “unconstitutional state of affairs” in Brazil’s prison system.
Over the next three years, implementing this plan — already finalised and approved—will be key to reducing overcrowding, strengthening alternatives to incarceration, expanding social support offices, and investing in education and vocational training for people in custody.
With the expansion of FUNPEN’s resources, which could double by 2025, we have regained an investment capacity that has been lacking for a long time. Now, with a well-defined roadmap in the Pena Justa Plan, we can address these challenges in a more structured way, guaranteeing concrete progress in improving the Brazilian prison system.
In the Pena Justa Plan, a phase is now beginning in which the states will have to develop their own plans in line with the federal guidelines. What will SENAPPEN’s role be in this process? Will it focus more on supporting and monitoring implementation, or will it also have an oversight role?
AAG: Initially, SENAPPEN will play a direct role in supporting the states in drawing up their plans, providing the expertise of the team that took part in the creation of the national plan. The goal is to ensure that the regional plans are consistent with the federal plan and avoiding discrepancies that could undermine the implementation of prison policies.
In addition to this technical support, SENAPPEN is structuring a governance mechanism, in partnership with the National Justice Council, to monitor key indicators, track the progress of projects, and oversee the use of funds allocated to the states. However, the main focus will not be on oversight but on fostering a cooperative model, ensuring that the states can effectively implement their initiatives.
The federal government’s approach, following the guidance of the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, and President Lula, is to strengthen cooperative federalism, where
the federal government works alongside the states to address the challenges facing the prison system.
SENAPPEN will act as a partner for the states, offering technical support, consultancy, and resources to promote structural and operational advances that strengthen the prison system and improve its contribution to public safety.
How does the infrastructure of the Federal Penitentiary System differ from that of the state penitentiary systems in Brazil, in terms of facilities and resources? What are the challenges specific to these facilities?
AAG: The challenges facing the Federal Penitentiary System are significant, especially considering Brazil’s vast territorial extension. The five federal facilities are spread across different regions: Porto Velho (Northwest), Mossoró (Northeast), Brasília (Centre-West), Campo Grande (Centre) and Catanduvas (South). The large distances between them make management logistics complex and requires continuous planning.
To guarantee the security of these units, the system relies on the Federal Penal Police, which is responsible for administration and surveillance. Federal prisons are built with a robust infrastructure and advanced security systems. We are currently implementing the Omega Project, which improves security management with monitoring technologies, including seismic, thermal, and motion sensors, along with an extensive network of surveillance cameras.
Given the dangerous nature of the individuals held in these units, many of whom hold leadership roles in criminal organisations, specific control strategies are in place. One of them is the periodic transfer of individuals between federal facilities, a process guided
by prison intelligence. These transfers require a highly efficient logistical structure, including the use of aircraft for safe and secure transport.
The federal penitentiary system has the particularity of allowing complete monitoring of the prison environment, with the exception of the interior of individual cells, where privacy is preserved. All other areas are strictly monitored through cameras and microphones. Additionally, prison intelligence continuously controls the movement inside the facility and the placement of individuals within the units to maintain security.
We also work closely with the Federal Police, with many of their operations being triggered by information gathered by prison intelligence, demonstrating the importance of this work in combating organised crime.
In response to these challenges, SENAPPEN maintains rigorous oversight of federal facilities. Last year, all federal prisons were inspected, and this year the visits will be repeated, ensuring constant supervision of the operating conditions and security of these facilities.
JT: The Alvorada Project is an initiative of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, coordinated by SENAPPEN, aimed at promoting social reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons.
What are SENAPPEN’s expectations regarding the impact and scope of this project?
AAG: The Alvorada Project is part of the national policy for the support of individuals leaving prison, and reinforces the importance of social participation in this process. SENAPPEN actively promotes the creation of support networks for people released from the prison system, fostering initiatives that
encourage their productive inclusion, along with that of their families.
The project is being developed in partnership with universities and federal education institutes, with funding from the National Penitentiary Fund. Its main focus is on professional qualification, equipping formerly incarcerated persons with skills that support their reintegration into the labour market.
In the last cycle, the Alvorada Project benefited 250 families by offering technical and vocational training.
For the upcoming cycle, scheduled for 2025, the project’s budget has been increased to around R$14 million. This additional funding will allow for the expansion of initiatives aimed at social and economic inclusion, significantly enhancing the project’s reach and impact. The budgetary and personnel reinforcement provided by the Pena Justa Plan will guarantee even more support for the Alvorada Project, consolidating its role in supporting social reintegration and improving post-incarceration living conditions.
André de Albuquerque Garcia
National Secretary for Penal Policies, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Brazil
André de Albuquerque Garcia is Brazil’s current National Secretary for Penal Policies. He has previously served as Executive Secretary for Social Defence in Pernambuco (2006), Secretary of State for various portfolios in Espírito Santo, including Justice and Public Security (2010-2018, returning in 2023), and was vice president of the National College of Public Security Secretaries (CONSESP). He is a member of the Hermeneutics and Constitutional Jurisdiction Research Group, a full member of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, and has been a State Prosecutor in Pernambuco since 1998. He is a doctoral candidate in Fundamental Rights and Guarantees at the Vitória Law School and holds a master’s degree in Law from the Catholic University of Pernambuco, specialising in Civil Procedural Law, and a bachelor’s
degree in Legal Sciences from UFPE.
Advertisement
