Brazilian gov't announces national security plan

The Brazilian government announced on Thursday a national security plan following a prison riot in the northern state of Amazona which left 56 dead.

The government did not reveal many details of the plan except that it should focus on reducing crime and traffic congestion and modernizing prisons.

The move was regarded as an attempt to provide a suitable response to the criticism leveled against the authorities following the Jan. 1 prison roil, which caused the highest death toll since the Carandiru massacre killed 111 inmates in 1992.

The government has blamed the private administration of the prison for the accident, trying to shift blame on the state government.

Local media reported that both the prison administration and the state authorities knew about the high risk of a riot, and but failed to prevent it.

Amazona public security secretary, Carlos Fontes, has told the media that the prison had capacity for 592 people but contained 1,224.

source: Xinhua