Brazil's gang violence fuels calls for police reform and more prisons

Prosecutor Lincoln Gakiya told Estadão that the growth of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) is driven by corruption within state agents, noting recent findings that link members of the São Paulo Military Police to the PCC. He urged the next federal government to create a national plan for integrating federal and state security forces, establish national police councils and launch an anti‑mafia agency to curb the gangs' influence.

Former BOPE captain Rodrigo Pimentel argued that expanding the prison system can curb violence, citing Espírito Santo’s 8 % homicide decline after it tripled its inmate population. He warned that Brazil’s 72 criminal factions originated in prisons and called for more facilities to avoid overcrowding and preserve inmate dignity, while emphasizing the need to retake territory controlled by gangs.