The data was passed on by Judge Daniel Modesto Geraldes, coordinator of the Ad Hoc Commission for the Analysis of Excess Preventive Detention across the country, who highlighted the 47 percent reduction in these cases.
According to Daniel Modesto Geraldes, in May 2023 the prison population totaled 11,973 prisoners, of which 2,524 were in a situation where they had exceeded the preventive detention time in the preparatory investigation phase and 1,001 in the judicial phase.
The judge stressed that the data updated this month show that “these figures have reduced significantly”, with 1524 cases in the preparatory investigation phase and 389 in the judicial phase.
“We could see a 60 percent reduction in the preparatory investigation phase by December 2024, 61 percent in the judicial phase and 47 percent overall,” he said.
In turn, the representative of the Penitentiary Services, deputy penitentiary commissioner Emílio Mendes, revealed that the average monthly admissions in the country is 1,600 prisoners, stressing that in addition to the excess of preventive detention, overcrowding is another problem, which affects the management of penitentiary establishments. and the penal population.
According to Emílio Mendes, overcrowding “is very high”, citing the case of the province of Huíla, with a total prison population of 1504 inmates, but with a capacity of 606 inmates, a situation similar to that seen in the province of Huambo, with a capacity of 940 and 638 more prisoners.