Suicide Among Correctional Officers Rises 66% in 2023
The Center for the Study of Violence at the University of São Paulo develops unprecedented research on the work dynamics of correctional officers in São Paulo
Amid an epidemic of mental illnesses that has been causing an increasing number of health-related absences, the occurrence of suicides among correctional officers grew by 66% in the first half of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022. According to a survey by the São Paulo Prison System Workers’ Union (Sifuspesp), in the first half of 2023, 5 officers took their own lives, a number that surpasses the total cases of last year, when 4 deaths were recorded. “Our colleagues are dying from causes that could be avoided. When a correctional officer falls ill, it’s not just their family that suffers; the entire system does. Society loses an important ally in public safety,” comments the Union President, Fábio Jabá.
Absences among prison system workers reach, on average, 10% of the total workforce. “Half of these absences are due to mental health-related reasons. Correctional officers bear the brunt of the prison system’s deterioration and professional devaluation. They are the link between the prison population and the State, living in constant tension, working with a shortage of staff, and operating in the most dangerous profession among public safety careers. Implementing effective measures to care for these workers’ mental health is urgent,” asserts Jabá.
Life Expectancy: 45 Years
In 2010, a study by the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo (USP) revealed that the life expectancy among São Paulo’s prison system workers is 45 years, while the life expectancy of Brazilians was, in 2010, 73 years, according to IBGE. According to the research, this difference is due to the poor infrastructure conditions of the penitentiaries, the extensive work hours, and the stress inherent to the job.
Psychologist Arlindo da Silva Lourenço, author of the doctoral thesis on the subject, explained that working in unhealthy environments and the precariousness of working conditions affect the physical and psychological health of these workers.
Unprecedented Research
A new study on the work of correctional officers is being developed by the Center for the Study of Violence at the University of São Paulo (NEV/USP), in partnership with Sifuspesp. The research, unprecedented, studies the work dynamics of correctional officers in São Paulo, the state with the largest prison population in the country, with about 195,000 inmates.
Law That Remained on Paper
Approved in 2007, Law 12.622, which establishes the Mental Health Program for Penitentiary Security Agents, provides for a series of important actions that could contribute to improving mental health care for Correctional Police, but to this day has not been implemented. The program foresees preventive actions; comprehensive assistance to workers affected by mental disorders and free access to medication for treatment. “The SAP (State Secretariat for Prison Administration) is the only one among the security forces that does not have official statistics on suicide and mental illness among workers. Implementing the law is urgent as it will save lives of workers who are currently completely unassisted,” comments Jabá.
In SIFUSPESP’s assessment, implementing a comprehensive health care program for correctional officers is an urgent task. “This law stipulates that the Mental Health Program for Penitentiary Security Agents will have an epidemiological-based information system linked to the SUS (Unified Health System) information system. But today, there are no official statistics on the mental health of workers. Understanding the reality that correctional officers are exposed to is fundamental to changing the reality of the category, which has a much lower life expectancy than the average Brazilian population,” evaluates.