Despite being 3rd in population, MS has a record for indigenous arrests – Cities

Mato Grosso do Sul is the record holder in Brazil for the number of indigenous people arrested. Despite being third in terms of population numbers in the country (116 thousand people), it far surpasses the states of Amazonas and Bahia, which are in first and second positions in terms of indigenous inhabitants, with 490,854 and 229,103 respectively.

Here, the most recent data, from 2022, indicates 383 prisoners of different ethnicities: 352 men and 31 women. Behind Mato Grosso do Sul, with much lower values, is Roraima, with 214 in male prisons and 16 in female units.

In most cases, arrests occur for homicides and robberies. According to studies, many episodes occur intensified by drunkenness.

The study was organized by the Advisory, Defense and Rights Guarantee Program (ADD) of the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Cross (IISC), in partnership with the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi).

The 3rd edition of the infographic “Prisons and Original Peoples in Brazil” highlights the disparity between numbers in the country. Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia account for more than 70% of prisons in the country, totaling 613 indigenous people in prison.

There is no data by region, but the survey shows that 27.31% of indigenous people deprived of their liberty are imprisoned without conviction.

The study calls for the application of extrication measures for people belonging to original peoples, which take into account this population’s own methods of conflict resolution.

In addition to the social issue surrounding these convictions, native peoples suffer in greater doses in prison. A study by the State Public Defender’s Office indicates that 86% of inmates do not have access to an interpreter in their native language during the criminal process, despite the majority not understanding Portuguese well.

In November last year, during a public hearing that discussed the creation of a law to treat imprisoned indigenous people, the case arose of a public servant who, after years, managed to explain the criminal process to one of the convicts in Mato Grosso do Sul: “I saw the soul of him leaving the body”, reported the interpreter about an inmate at the Dourados State Penitentiary, after explaining the 20-year prison sentence.

The man was presented as one of the examples of rights violations that indigenous people are subjected to in Brazil.

The State Government tried to implement a specific penal unit for ethnic groups. But he backed down in February this year and revoked the ordinance that created a working group to evaluate the feasibility of implementing the first exclusively indigenous prison in Mato Grosso do Sul. The measure caused controversy, being rejected by the MPI (Ministry of Indigenous Peoples).

The information from the secretariat is that the resolution was revoked with the aim of expanding this working group to seek a solution “that promotes resocialization, fully respecting the constitutional rights, culture and identity of indigenous peoples”, but since then the matter has not evolved. .

The intention was to use the existing Amambai Penal Establishment, 351 kilometers from Campo Grande, to transfer all indigenous prisoners to the unit.

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