In a bleak prison cell in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, a man turns the last page of Don Quixote, closes the book, and reaches for a pen. What he writes next might reduce his prison term.
In Brazil, a remarkable concept is flourishing behind bars: inmates can reduce days from their sentences by reading and reviewing books. Dubbed “Remission through Reading” (Remição pela Leitura), the program is both rehabilitative and educational—and redemptive.
Begun in 2012 under the aegis of Brazil’s Ministry of Justice, the program pairs literature and liberty. Inmates at both state and federal prisons are qualified to enroll, accumulating up to 48 days off their sentence per year—four days per book and review, up to a maximum of 12 per year. Its goal is high: to alleviate crowding, increase literacy, and change the way society conceives of incarceration.
The system is more simplistic in design, but firmly regulated. Inmates select a title of pre-approved genres: literature, science, philosophy, or classics, excluding violent or destructive content. Reading must be completed in 21 to 30 days, depending on the volume of the book. Following this, a 10-day period is provided in which to write a reflective critical analysis.
These are not mere book reports. They’re graded by a validation board—made up of teachers, librarians, and members of civil society—on grammar, coherence, and depth of cognitive grasp. Plagiarism is watched closely, and assistance is given to students with intellectual disabilities or low literacy levels, including provision of audiobooks, Braille books, and peer-to-peer support in reading.
“A lot of prisoners start just to get the time off,”
said one educator, Lucia Andrade, who works in Paraná’s prison reading programs.
“But eventually, something shifts. They start to like the reading. They want to discuss it. They want to learn.”
Brazilian prisons are the world’s most congested, and the Ministry of Justice estimates that more than 700,000 individuals are behind bars, many held in facilities running substantially beyond their capacities. Conventional practices of rehabilitation have failed so far to stem high recidivism, which in some areas reaches up to 70%.
The reading program provides a shining beacon of optimism. In Paraná, where the program was initially tested under State Law 17.329, research showed that pairing the students in the program with other types of prison schooling lowered recidivism to a mere 6%. That’s not a statistic—that’s the difference between a second chance and a life in prison.
“It isn’t just the books,”
declared Marcelo Souza, a former prisoner who took part in the program and is a librarian today.
“It’s about being treated as a human being once more.”
Consider André, a 32-year-old inmate serving a 12-year sentence for armed robbery. When he joined the reading program, he struggled with basic comprehension. But after six months, he’d completed reviews for titles like The Little Prince and 1984, and started tutoring fellow inmates.
“Now, I did not think that I could,”
André replied in a recorded interview.
“But I learned to think in a different way. To look beyond the walls of the prison. The books taught me something that prison never did—hope.”
Another participant, Carla, wrote that the program reminded her of and helped her reconnect with her children.
“I read To Kill a Mockingbird, and it caused me to write a letter to my daughter. I spoke to her of justice, and of courage. Never before had I talked to her in that manner.”
The reach of the program is far beyond the walls of prison, though. Brazilian publisher Carambaia has helped the cause by donating copies and promoting the work of inmates in its book campaigns—showcasing the intellectual potential in prison.
Participants read, on average, 45 books per year—to the national average of nine. Educators indicate that even those who had limited prior education have acquired skills in literary analysis and composition, skills essential in reintegrating people back into society.
Over 7,400 prisoners in Mato Grosso do Sul alone had gone through it by the year 2023. And it’s not going unnoticed by international observers. Similar initiatives have already begun in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In Finland, while inmates are given education and library privileges, they do not have a formal connection to sentence reductions.
In spite of its popularity, the program is not without challenges. It is hard to keep the reviews consistent in Brazil’s enormous prison system. All facilities do not have the same exposure to books or qualified instructors. Some have expressed concerns that prisoners will manipulate the system by fabricating or plagiarizing reviews solely to cut their time.
But the Brazilian government is holding firm. With ongoing backing by the National Justice Council (CNJ), the program is growing. More significant, it’s opening up conversations about the potential and the role of rehabilitation in the 21st century.
“Brazil is demonstrating that significant reform doesn’t always mean high-cost infrastructure,”
said Dr. Helena Vasquez, a São Paulo criminal justice researcher.
“In some cases, it just needs a book.”
