The Charqueadas 2 State Penitentiary, opened at the end of November, received a donation of 300 books. The event was promoted by the Fundação Gaúcha dos Bancos Sociais, of the Citizenship Council of the Federation of Industries of the States of Rio Grande do Sul (Fiergs).
The new prison establishment has four reading spaces, spread across four galleries. The places are supervised by the inmates themselves, who organize the works and also help other inmates in the search for authors.
The delivery is part of an agreement between the entity and the Penal Police, which has been in force since 2012. “The partnership with Banco de Livros is very important for the prison system because, in addition to supplying literary works, it helps inmates who pursue formal education and also those who participate in the remission of sentences for reading”, highlighted the head of the Education Division of the Department of Penal Treatment, Iarani Rocha.
According to current legislation, a reading must be completed within 30 days. From then on, prisoners write a book report, which will be evaluated by a validation committee, made up of technical teams in each unit. A work read, after recognition by the Court, represents a four-day reduction in the sentence. The limit is 12 books per year, resulting in 48 days redeemed.
The donated books were received by the unit director, Joaquim Neto, and social worker Kátia Barcelos. Together with other employees, they work to ensure that policies aimed at social educational practices are implemented in the penitentiary in accordance with current legislation.
