ASSOCIATION FOR PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO
CONVICTS (APAC)
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION PROJECT
WINNER, MOST PROMISING APPROACH
EXPERIENCES FROM THE FIELD 2013
CHALLENGING CONDITIONS IN BRAZIL
Brazil – fourth largest population of inmates world wide (549,577 inmates)
Growth of 136% from 2000 to 2012
Population exceeds capacity by 194,650
Overcrowded prisons with violent and inhumane conditions
Significant HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis infection rates
Largely young and uneducated population
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73% of prisoners are under 34 years old
•
More than 70% of inmates did not complete elementary school
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APAC PROJECT OVERVIEW
Internal Activity
External Activity
Job Skills Training
Businesses
Job Market
In-house Production
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•
•
•
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Improves labor market opportunities and increases society’s safety
Provides prisoners professional training and work opportunities to gain employable skills
while in prison
Baking, civil construction, interview skills
Work = primary means for socialization and rehabilitation and recovery of human dignity
Prisoners have opportunities to work outside jail in day time and return to jail at night
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HOW APAC JAILS WORK
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2,400 inmates in 34 APAC Minas Gerais jails
Prisoners placed in APAC jail closest to hometowns to integrate with
community
Every three days of work reduces prison sentence by one day
Prison facility and guards are gun-free
Construction cost per vacancy
R$
45,000.00
R$
15,000.00
Standard system
APAC
Cost to the state per inmate
Standard System
R$
2,800.00
R$ 900.00
APAC
(Source: State Department of Social Defense, National Penitentiary
Department, APAC, Prison Managers Consortium Members)
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PROJECT RESULTS
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APAC jail model replicated abroad in Asia,
Eastern Europe, S. Asia, and other parts of
Latin America
Recidivism rate from Brazilian public jails: 7580%
Recidivism rate from Brazilian APAC jails: 1015%
Increasing involvement of public authorities
and private sector
Poder Executivo
Poder Judiciario
Setor Privado
Unidades Prisionais
APAC
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Sociedade Civil
PROGRAM BOLSTERED BY SUPPORTIVE POLICIES
Participation of the Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais (FIEMG) and major industrial
companies in various sectors in Brazil to create the Instituto Minas Pela Paz to promote
employment policies, together with AVSI Foundation, FBAC, the State government and
Court, with support from the European Union - Human Rights unit:
• Professional training and certification
• Entry into the labor market or entrepreneurial support
• Job placement and monitoring after hire
• Internal production facilities
• Tax incentives for companies hiring former inmates and laws promoting reintegration
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CONTACT:
FUNDAÇÃO AVSI
BELO HORIZONTE
BRAZIL
gianfranco.commodaro@
avsi.org
AVSI USA
WASHINGTON DC
USA
ezio.castelli@avsi.org
FBAC
ITAUNA - MG
BRAZIL
valdeci.fbac@hotmail.com
INSTITUTO MINAS
PELA PAZ
BELO HORIZONTE
BRAZIL
marco@fiat.com.br
TRIBUNAL DE JUSTIÇA
Every person is greater than his or her mistakes
MINAS GERAIS
BRAZIL
luiz.santos@tjmg.jus.br.org