Lula's government platform lacks plans for new prisons

The government platform of the Workers' Party (PT) for a potential new term for President Lula does not include commitments to build new prisons. While the document classifies the “guarantee of rights” as a strategic element for managing the prison system, it makes no mention of increasing incarceration capacity.

Data from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies indicates that the prison system was severely overcrowded by the end of 2025, with a cell occupancy rate of 143.94%. This represents a deficit of 225,726 inmates beyond existing capacity. Currently, there are 505,267 available spots across 1,355 establishments, with 473,918 spots for men and 31,349 for women.

In contrast, the guidelines proposed by Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) include the construction of five new maximum-security prisons based on the El Salvador model. His proposal aims to create 500,000 new spots to eliminate the prison deficit within four years.