Abstract
Introduction Drug-related crimes, especially drug trafficking, account for a large part of incarcerations not only in Brazil, but also worldwide. It is not clear whether the change in the drug law has contributed to the increase in the number of drug trafficking prisoners. Few studies have investigated gender differences and the growth of drug trafficking offenses in the Brazilian southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Objective To investigate the growth of the prison population in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, emphasizing incarcerations for drug trafficking and gender differences. Method This was an ecological study using secondary data collected from official databases of the Brazilian National Penitentiary Department (Departamento Penitenciário [DEPEN]), affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Justice. Results Between 2006 and 2015, incarcerations increased by 27% (25% men, 83% women). Incarcerations for drug trafficking accounted for 11% of total arrests in 2006 (11% men, 20% women) and 45% in 2015 (47% men, 91% women), corresponding to an increase of 427% (415% among men, 723% among women). Conclusions Imprisonment for drug trafficking has increased considerably, especially among women. This may be due to factors such as: increase of drug trafficking, increase in the numbers of gangs in the state, and changes in the Brazilian drug law. These results highlight an emerging challenge in public health from the perspective of human rights and gender.
Highlights
Drug-related crimes, especially drug trafficking, account for a large part of incarcerations in Brazil, and worldwide
Considering imprisonment for drug trafficking, there was an overall increment of 427% (23 to 126/100,000 inhabitants/year), with a growth of 415% (44 to 229/100,000 inhabitants/year) among men (Figure 1) and 723% (3 to 28/100,000 inhabitants/year) among women (Figure 2)
This study reports the increase in drug-related imprisonment rates in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and the alarming growth in drug-related incarcerations among women in the period from 2006 to 2015
Summary
Drug-related crimes, especially drug trafficking, account for a large part of incarcerations in Brazil, and worldwide It is not clear whether the change in the drug law has contributed to the increase in the number of drug trafficking prisoners. Conclusions: Imprisonment for drug trafficking has increased considerably, especially among women This may be due to factors such as: increase of drug trafficking, increase in the numbers of gangs in the state, and changes in the Brazilian drug law. These results highlight an emerging challenge in public health from the perspective of human rights and gender. Centro de Pesquisa em Álcool e Drogas, Centro Colaborador em Álcool e Drogas, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 3 Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas, Económicas y Administrativas, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, AR, Chile. 4 Núcleo de Pesquisa em Direito Penal e Criminologia, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 5 Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 6 Fundação Escola Superior do Ministério Público (FMP), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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