On Friday, August 9, prison guards at the Faro Prison Establishment thwarted an escape attempt by an inmate detained for drug trafficking.
The incident took place at the end of the day when prison guards noticed, through surveillance cameras, an individual running inside the prison facilities. At that moment, they realized that an inmate had escaped from the visiting room, and they mobilized the prison guard corps.
The detainee was already trying to climb the vertical barbed wire of one of the prison towers, which had been deactivated due to lack of personnel, when the guards intervened and prevented the climb and, consequently, the escape.
The inmate reportedly made several death threats to the guards, showing resistance and attempting to escape again. He was placed in an observation cell, where he allegedly broke an alarm switch.
When confronted with these facts, the president of the National Union of the Prison Guard Corps, Frederico Morais, confirmed the escape attempt.
The official emphasized that the “enormous lack of guards is jeopardizing the security of prisons and, consequently, of the population.”
“The Union has been alerting the Government to the serious consequences that may occur due to the lack of security in prison establishments,” said Frederico Morais, further stressing that he hopes a “catastrophe will not be necessary to take measures to reinforce the security of prisons, which are the last bastion of national security.”
