Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
The pre-trial prison Urso Branco is one of the worst jails in all of Brazil. Riots have been taking place here almost every year since 2002.
Gangs battling for control of the drug business are also fighting it out behind bars. They use every opportunity to eliminate rival gang members.
In the past 20 years, more than 100 people have died in riots behind the walls of Urso Branco. A sad record for Brazil. The situation in Urso Branco remains a powder keg, despite the government tightening security in recent years. Sanitary conditions are catastrophic; cells are desperately overcrowded.
The guards are heavily armed and always carry loaded weapons. Each rifle’s barrel contain special anti-riot ammunition made of rubber.
The other cartridges are live ammunition. This is the only way they can keep the situation under control. Even though the guards face the constant risk of attack. To this place, the twenty-eight-year-old Naum is being brought, having been arrested by the police when trying to rob a bar.
In Urso Branco he has to wait for the decision from the judge. The decision, if he will stay in jail for the next 15 years or if he will see his family soon again.
Naum shares the cell with 19 other inmates – 19 men who are in custody here for robbery, murder, rape and drug trafficking.
Inside is cramped and the sanitary facilities are catastrophic. As the new guy, Naum is at the bottom of the pecking order. What’s worse is that the situation behind bars can escalate at any time.
a different world
like hell on earth
zero tolerance
all this behind bars,gangs,violence,drugs, harassment.
a daily survival of the fittest
in the toughest prisons in the world.
six meter high walls
secured by three rows of fences.
heavily armed guards here endeavor
to keep 3000 inmates under control.
behind the walls rival drug gangs battle it out.
across Rio Madera are Bolivia and peru two of the largest cocaine producers in the word
in the last two years alone police have seized 2, 5 million dollars worth of cocaine at the border.
just a fraction of what drug gangs are smuggling into the country
anyone cut with drugs or weapons ends up here first in the police holding cells.
28 year old Naum was arrested by the police on saturday evening he had tried to rob a bar while high on cocaine. but the police see things differently
he was caught with this weapon while committing a robbery
it’s plastic and very light but it looks real when you being threaten with it it’s impossible to distinguish it from a real weapon.
brazilian law makes no distinction between real or toy weapons only the crime counts
if found guilty Naum faces up to 15 years behind bars.
but instead of going back to his family
Naum’sgoing to be held in a pre -trial prison he will remain there until a judge decides whether or not he will go to trial.
even for a seemingly small fry like Naum the security measures are extremely high
brazil has the world’s second largest cocaine market after the USA police and drug gangs are at war right across the country
several police vehicles accompany every prisoner transport
the motorcade’s destination- the puerto vallarta prison complex
seven prisons in total constructed one after the other to cope with the increasing number of criminals.
the most notorious of these prisons is -the pre- trial prison Urso branco -the white bear one of the worst jails in all of brazil.
riots have been takng place here almost every year since 2002
gangs battling for control of the drug business are also fighting it out behind bars.
they use everey opportunity to eliminate rival gang members
in the past 20 years more than 100 people have died in riots behind the wall of Urso branco a sad record for brazil.
the situation in Urso branco remains a powder cake despite the government tightening security in recent years.
sanitary conditions are catastrophic
cells are desperately overcrowded
guards face the constant risk of attack instead of the usual batons guards here carry shotguns with live ammunition.
this is the only way they can keep the situation under control.
fights between inmates takes place repeatedly,fights that can quickly develop into the next riot.
before the new arrivals are taken inside the prison they are screened by the guards.
everyone has to go through a body scanner, this is to prevent new detainees for being used to smuggle drugs.
or even weapons into the jail .
Naum is then put behind bars at least until it is decided whether he will be charged
the police hand him over to the guards at urso branco .
like all new inmates naum’s first put in a cage the newly arrested here are waiting to be heard by a judge
the hearing will take place later by video conference taking the inmates to court would be far too dangerous
naum is still hopeful of being out in a few hours.
so the waiting begins….meanwhile it is now late morning the sun beats down mercilessly temeratures rise towell over 30 degrees celsius
despite the roof the heat in the cages is almost unbearable but the new inmates receive nothing but water
if it comes to trial naum will end up in another block
the pre-trial prison has a total of eight blocks inmates there are segregated according to crimes.
Block G is for new arrivals and sex offenders.
Block H for crimes such as robbery or fraud.
Block I for suspected murderers.
Block J for those arrested for domestic violence
the large main building is made of four blocks
all drug criminals end up there segregated according to gang membership.
it also has solitary confinement cells.
the prison is surrounded by a six meter high and one and a half meter thick wall it has two functions.
in the event of riots guards can keep the prisoners in check from here. the wall also serves as a bulwark against attacks from the outside.
19 guards per shift are responsible for the nearly 600 inmates this means just one guard for every 30 prisoners.
the guards are heavily armed and always carry loaded weapons each rifle contains a catridge with special anti – riot ammunition made of rubber but it can be reloaded with live ammunition
the main wing is next where the drug criminals are held.
a guard earns the equivalent of 500 dollar a months just over the half the average income in brazil ,even though they risk their lives every day at work.
the drug gangs will stop at nothing they treaten the guards on the street even snatch their children while they’re playing or at school
inmates get two hours per day in the prison courtyard,two hours when they are not crammed into the fully overcrowded cells.
most inmates use the time for exercise
a freedom that the new inmates do not have,after four hours in the blazing heat naum eventually gets a video hearing with the judge and the judge dashes any hopes naum had
the bar owner the alleged victim has unexpectedly testified no final decisison has been made as yet to wheter the case will go to trial .
the final decision on whether to press charges will eventually come by mail,naum can do nothing but wait, he cannot afford a lawyer
if convicted in a trial he’ll be taken straight from urzo bronco pre -trial detention center to here.
afunsu maximum security prison known as 603 for the number of inmates it can hold.
heavily armed guards
three rows of fences
the prison built in 2019
has the highest security standards in the country
the prison represents the state’s declaration of war on drug gangs.
the start of a shift at the maximum security prison senior guard antonio briefs his team on the days schedule
here too rifles with live ammunition are part of the guard’s standard equipment.
first up -exercise in the courtyard ,inmates are allowed out of their cells for two hours a day.
the prison has three wings. with 20 cells each prisoners are segregated according to which gang they belong to.
block A is for members of the commando vermelu,brazil’s largest drug gang.
block B and C are for members of the primero da capitao. also a powerful gang.
the biggest rival gang originating in sao paulo’s favelas
another floor exists above the cells it has one purpose only
extra locking for the cells bellow.
courtyard exercise begins an elaborate procedure which is exactly the same everytime.
first antonio unlocks the cells from below, each cell has two locking systems one down here and one up there.
the locks on the lower floor can be unlocked first but the inmates can’t get out until the locks are opened up there. -that’s security system.
the first rule for dealing with prisoenrs reduce directcontact to zero whenever possible after unlocking the lower locks , antonio and his man withdraw.
only now does a colleague from the floor above open the second locks on the cells.
these security measures are having an impact so far no one has succeeded in attacking a guard at the maximum security prison.
but everyone knows they can’t drop their guard for a second
the inmates are just waitingfor them to do so .
antonio and his men every courtyard session to carry out searches they randomly search the empty cells.
the guards are extremely thorough theyare well aware that they would be the first victims of a self -made weapon.
in two hours the inmates will have to return to their cells.
but for some inmates even theses security measures are not enough these prisoner have a special wing,isolated from the rest and with even stricter security measures
they are senior gang members and have very long sentences they must not have any contact with the others.
back to Urso branco naum still doesn’t know if and for how long he will stay here. the judgehas adjourned the decision until the next day.
naum must therefore spend the night n tyhe pre-trial prison all new inmates spend their first days in cell G1
whatever the gang affiliation only when the prisoners are all at the other end of the cell do the guards open the cell.
naum shares the cell with 19 inmates
19 men who are in custody here for robbery, murder ,rape and drug trafficking.
inside is cramped, and the sanitary facilities are catastrophic as the new guy naum is at the bottom of the pecking order.
what’s worse is that the situation behind bars can escalate at any time
like in 2002 back then one of the worst riot in brasil broke out in Urso branco the guards withdrew and left the prisoners to their fate.
almost 40 prisoners were brutally murdered many were injured
only the military were able to bring the situation back under control
fort the past two years mr sosa has been security chef in urso bronco every day he and his men battled to maintain control of brazil’s most notorious prison under his leadersship here has been no major rioting.
another day has come to an end wihtout incident, the night passes quietlyt there have been no issues
for inmate naum it will be decided today whether he will see his family again soon if charges are brought the law permits naum to be held in pre-trial detention for a maximum of 30 days
but the reality is different, the courts are overwhelmed and trials delayed inmates often remaine behind bars for years.
like Giovannni for example.he’s among those inmates who have been the longest in urso bronco, he was charged with domestic violence his been waiting for his trial for a year and a half.
due to good behavior he eventually landed a prison job, there are no earnings but he can use the job to reduce any prison sentence.
the biggest risk to workers- tuberculosis one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world.every year one and a half million people die from it the disease is highly prevalent in brazilian prisons
due to poor sanitary conditions workers like giovanni everywhere throughout the prison they are therefore particularly at risk of contracting the disease and spreading the infection.
but the jobs are still highly sought after ,the workers have their own buildning and can enter their cells as they want.
and compared tothe normal cells theirs are quite luxurious. they also enjoy many privileges.
a total of 12 workers share the space,the greatest luxury a bathroom they even have a shower.
most cells don’t have electricity but they have electricity and light this is the difference between ourselves says giovanni and the others .
they have it because they work.Giovani won’t enjoy these privilieges much longer even though he doesn’t know it yet
in another place a decision has been made the judge has ordered that naum be chargeed with aggravated robbery.
after registration for formalities , hair shaving is scheduled a procedure that awaits every inmate sooner or later.
naum is now officially part of the system.a merciless system .
security chief has scheduled a cell search for today not only for reasons of security but also as a demonstration of power.
the guards are supported by a special unit referred to as gapethe unite was founded
in 2017 in respons to the many riots,these men hare specially trained to take out rioting prisoners and regain control of the prison.
every inmates must leave the cell for the search .
the action moves so fast that the prisoners don’t have time to resist. the security guards check whether anyone is still hiding in the cell.
they take the prisoners to the courtyard. the inmates have to wait there until the end of cell search
allthough the men are only being held in pre-trial dtention the security forces treat them like serious criminals.
if you end up in jail in brazil you have practically no rights regardless of whether are being held in pre -trial detention or have been convicted and the majority of inmates can’t afford a lawyer anyway.
the cell search is conducted by the security chief himself , inmates may only possess hygiene products and food that relatives send.
even cigarettes are banned, opportunitites to hide things from the guards are not great-so inmates get creative,the security chief looks for hiding places in the ceilings,walls and floors.
the inmates mattresses are next they are a good hiding place for a self-made weapons the prisoners store their few belongings in plastic bags. the security chief has found nothing so far but then a simple note catches his attention.phone numbers and name on it.
he suspects it could be contact information for a gang…and it is. the chief of security is satisified with the results of his search
after more than an hour in the blazing sun the prisoners are allowed back into their cells,punishment for the owner of the note can range from a ban on visitors to solitary confinement.
it is now early evening ,food for the inmates is provided byan external company giovanni andhis colleagues pick it up at the entrance.
a good way to smuggle drugs into prison.but giovanni is not as exemplary as he appears at the moment, it’ll become clear later.
there is no canteen far to risky , inmates get food handed to them in their cells. the doors are not even open to hand over the food nevertheless the workers are repeatedly
the inmates get meals three times a day, there’s no menu to choose from if you don’t like it you’re out of luck
after the main wing its the turn of the outer cells the newcomers get their food last.
fot security reasons cutlery is not provided it would be too easy for the inmates to make weapons out of it .
at least the food doesn’t look that bad .but hunger is the least of naum’s problems a bigger priority is gtting through urso bronco unscathed
naum is clinging to the hope that the illegal bar owner will not appear in court to testify, then there would be insufficient evidence to convict him he could go hom to his family .
a little later something extremely rare in urso branco another cell search is scheduled….in the wing for the workers.
an unusal measure
the reason for this searchthe guards have caught inmate Giovanni smuggling
Giovanni has been supplying drugs with the food and hope that the gang would get him a lawyer. no one knows how long he’s been doing it.
the search will reveal the estent of the smuggling and whether other workers are involved
the guards are being thorough it takes them almost an hour to turn the cell upside down -the search has been completed and didn’t found any forbbiden items on the workers cell.
this won’t change anything for Giovanni he’ll spend at least two weeks in solitary confinement
and will lose all his priviliges, even worse he’ll he’ll end up in one of thses cells.
and be at the mercy of the laws and rules of life in brazil’s urso bronco prison.
a prison that is certainly one of the most dangerous harshest in the world