The climate crisis, marked among other consequences by rising temperatures, has also affected the Brazilian prison system, which is characterized by overcrowding, precarious infrastructure, and a lack of water and ventilation, exposing prisoners to unsanitary conditions and serious human rights violations.

The warning appears in a technical note from the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), which identifies the risks of thermal violence as inhuman and degrading treatment in Brazilian prisons.

The document also proposes concrete measures to address this situation.

Prepared in the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, northern Brazil, the statement reaffirms the DPU’s institutional commitment to defending incarcerated individuals and seeks to promote recognition of thermal violence in prisons, “which is part of the multiple dimensions of environmental inequality/racism.”

“The DPU aims to contribute to building a national climate justice agenda that includes the Brazilian prison system,” the text emphasizes.

Thermal violence

Thermal violence is characterized by prolonged and involuntary exposure to extreme temperatures, compromising the health and lives of those in custody.

The Public Defender’s Office statement underscores that understanding this concept is essential for analyzing the situation of the Brazilian prison system in the context of the climate crisis.

“Excessive heat and intense cold compromise the physical and mental integrity of people deprived of their liberty, which constitutes an affront to the Federal Constitution, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as the use of cruel punishments,” the document states.

Unhealthy conditions

The Public Defender’s Office also notes that “the lack of adequate ventilation, access to potable water, and spaces for sunbathing, combined with the high occupancy density in the cells, intensifies the effects of so-called thermal violence.”

Overcrowding

Data from 2024 from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies (Senappen) show that Brazil had approximately 1,386 prison establishments, including federal units, with an estimated total capacity of 489,991 places.

In that year, however, there were 668,570 people held in physical cells, resulting in a deficit of more than 173,000 places.

Measures

The Public Defender’s Office’s technical note outlines the necessary measures to be adopted, including:

• development of state-level schedules for conducting thermal assessments;
• suspension of architectural projects lacking prior studies on thermal variations;
• review of regulations on architectural and infrastructure guidelines for penal establishments;
• provision of clothing necessary for thermal comfort at no cost;
• implementation of air-conditioning measures; and
• provision of potable water suited to the climate of each region.