Four inmates killed in new Brazil prison riot

At least four inmates have been killed in the latest prison riot in Brazil, bringing the overall number of fatalities in such riots over the past week to 100.

According to the reports, the riot took place at the Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa jail in the center of the Amazonian city of Manaus on Sunday, according to security officials.

The officials said the prisoners were killed under unclear circumstances inside the jail.

Brazil has recently seen an increase in prison riots with the latest having occurred on Friday at the Monte Cristo Farm Penitentiary (PAMC) in Roraima State. The violence happened as one group of inmates launched a rapid early morning attack against a rival group. At least 33 inmates were killed.

Earlier, at a prison in Manaus, gang members engaged in a 17-hour riot and killed 64 rivals.

Prisons across the South American country hold 622,000 inmates, according to a 2014 Justice Ministry report, which said the figure was 50 percent more than their capacity. In Sao Paulo, a single guard oversees 300 to 400 inmates in some jails, according to Camila Dias, an expert on Brazil’s prison system.

Overcrowding has made it easy for drug gangs to take control of the jails, which have been hosting thousands of criminals since the government launched a crackdown on drug gangs throughout the country.

SS