Home for Christmas: 255 prisoners remain at large in Rio, more than 30 migrants kidnapped in Mexico released

Police in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro are looking for 255 escaped prisoners, including two drug lords. As several media reported, the prisoners were temporarily released from prison over Christmas.

However, the criminals did not return as required. They did not wear electronic ankle bracelets because their use was based solely on a court order, which did not exist, the news portal “G1” reported on Thursday, citing the Secretariat of Corrections in Rio (SEAP).

The Prison Act provides for temporary release over Christmas and can be granted to prisoners under certain conditions. They must have already served 60 percent of their sentence and are in a semi-open prison. After the law was tightened in 2019, convicts serving a prison sentence for a “heinous crime resulting in death” are no longer entitled to this. These crimes include theft, kidnapping, rape and torture resulting in death.

The two drug lords are reportedly not affected by this change in the law, because they had already committed their crimes before.

The deadline for returns had already passed at 10pm on December 30, it was said. Of the 1,785 temporarily released prisoners, 1,530 returned. (sda/dpa)