The Prison Carandiru was the largest prison in Brazil and of Latin America, and one of the largest of the world.
Carandiru Massacre – All But Forgotten
The Carandiru Massacre, considered a major human rights violation in the history of Brazil, happened on October 2, 1992 after a riot broke out in the 9th Pavilion of Carandiru Prison Complex in São Paulo. The riot went out of control, which led to the elite force of the Military Police being called in and a confrontation which resulted in the reported death of 111 prisoners. No police were killed.
Human rights groups claim most prisoners were unarmed and offered no resistance, and that the police also fired at inmates who had already surrendered or had tried to hide. Regardless of this, no one has ever been punished, and the only person to be tried was the commanding officer of the operation, colonel Ubiratan Guimarães (assassinated in September 2006 in a possible crime of passion). He was initially sentenced to 620 years in prison but the conviction was later revoked after mistrial claims.
Estação Carandiru – Carandiru Metro Station in São Paulo
Carandiru the Movie
The story of Carandiru has also turned into a major motion picture. If you want to know more about what the conditions of Brazilian prisons are like, I recommend watching this movie. It’s very good, just a bit…disturbing.
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