Brasília, 22 July 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil organized, on 21 July, the second Technical Dialogue on the Classification of Prisoners, with the participation of representatives of seven Secretariats of Justice and Penitentiary Administration as well as the National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN). The initiative took place under the framework of "Organized Crime in Prisons and Drug Trafficking in a Regional Perspective," implemented by UNODC Brazil.
The goal of the meeting was to follow up on the first Technical Dialogue, which was held in May this year, and to identify progress and further needs of the federative units for the improvement of their systems of classification of prisoners according to the Brazilian Criminal Enforcement Law, international rules and the UNODC Manual on Prisoner Classification.
During the event, participants debated the possibilities and challenges faced to comply with Rule 93 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules), which establishes as the main purposes of classification "to separate prisoners who, because of their criminal past or their personality, may have a negative influence on others", and to facilitate the treatment of prisoners with a view to their social reintegration. The importance of the individualization of sentencing and periodic reclassification was also discussed.
At the end of the meeting, the proposal of the construction of a manual and instruments that can guide the work of the Technical Commissions of Classification was discussed, including forms for the initial classification and periodic reclassification of prisoners.
