172. A novel way to reduce prison sentences

Not many are aware that Brazilian law includes a literary device that allows inmates who read books to shorten their sentences by four days for each title read. 

To qualify for the sentence reduction scheme, prisoners are required to demonstrate they have genuinely read the books by submitting written reports to prison authorities.

Now this law is in the spotlight, courtesy of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who received a 27-year prison sentence last year for plotting a coup. 

Bolsonaro was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Brasília after spending Christmas at a federal police facility.

So, the former president convicted of a coup plot will take advantage of this law that reduces the jail term by four days for each book read.

A Supreme Court judge has permitted the former president to participate in the scheme following a request from his legal team.

Remember, it was the same Bolsonaro who once declared, “Sorry, I don’t have time to read. It’s been three years since I read a book.”

Bolsonaro might find the approved reading list uncomfortable, considering his hostility towards democracy, minorities, the Amazon rainforest, and the arts. The list features Brazilian works addressing Indigenous rights, racism, environmental issues, and the violence inflicted by the country’s dictatorship from 1964 to 85 – a regime Bolsonaro publicly supported.

One title, Ana Maria Gonçalves’ 950-page Um Defeito de Cor (A Colour Defect), examines Brazil's history through the perspective of a Black woman. Also included is Democracy!, a nonfiction picture book for children by Philip Bunting. Some other books on the list, such as Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, surpass 1,000 pages. 

I am afraid the man who never had time to read will be able to finish these and many other titles.

However, this is very good piece of news for India. 

The Indian government ought to consider this example and implement a similar system in Indian prisons. 

A mandatory list of books must be created for all prison libraries, and inmates who finish a book should be allowed to reduce their sentences by four days per book read. 

The only issue is that the powerful inmates will never read the book; instead, they will receive a note written by someone outside and submit it to the jail authorities, who will be glad to help them in exchange for money. 

So, a written test should be administered. Again, not by the jail authorities, but by an outside agency. If left to the jail administration, we will provide them with another opportunity and another tool to make money.