In a surprising turn of events that borders on the poetic and the desperate, Brazil has decided that the solution to its prison crisis lies not in new prisons, but in libraries. From now on, prisoners who manage to read twelve books a year and write convincing reviews will be able to leave prison 48 days early for each year of their sentence. In the absence of judicial miracles, literary ones are welcome.
Each work—literary, philosophical, or scientific, in case you thought you could get away with Paulo Coelho—must be read within 30 days and accompanied by a report worthy of at least a C. The reviews will be evaluated by prison authorities, who will now become literary critics by trade. Who said justice has no artistic sensibility?
The law, officially published, is already trending in the prison underworld. Rumor has it that self-help books are sold out and that literary analysis workshops in prison are more crowded than conjugal visits. Some are already speculating about fake review mafias, but they didn’t say that out loud—or maybe they did, but behind bars.
With more than 500,000 prisoners and an overcrowded prison system, the move seems brilliant: transform cells into classrooms, in the absence of real reforms. After all, if knowledge is power, now it is also freedom with an expiration date.
Of course, this program is voluntary, because forcing people to read in prison would be cruel and inhumane. As if being imprisoned weren’t punishment enough, now they also have to face Kant. In Brazil, now more than ever, crime doesn’t pay, unless you write a good review of Crime and Punishment.
Here are three notable cases behind bars, devouring books as if there were no tomorrow (or no upcoming court hearing):
- Edson Reinehr, who started reading to reduce his sentence and ended up describing himself as someone whose “program helped stimulate his mind and prevent him from focusing on negative thoughts.” Among his readings are The Art of War, How to Win Friends and Influence People (ideal for negotiating with the guard), and Les Misérables, which was clearly autobiographical.
- In Mato Grosso do Sul, a man named André, sitting in a cell but with more reviews than many influencers, after completing titles such as The Little Prince, 1984, and How to Be a Charismatic Leader Without Leaving Prison, went from not understanding much to helping other inmates read them. His informal book club now includes intense discussions about which Dostoyevsky character would make the best cellmate.
- And we couldn’t leave out a lady of the enlightened confinement: Marilene dos Santos, convicted of pyramid fraud, who since her admission has read more than many congressmen in their entire lives. Her selections include Capital, The Persuasion Manual for Dummies, and Pretty Woman (the novel, not the movie, because reality doesn’t always have a happy ending). Marilene says she now prefers to swindle with words, because “fiction doesn’t pay taxes.”
In short, reading saves. Not from crime or structural poverty, but it does save you from a few days behind bars. So now you know, future criminals: prepare your reading list before planning your next heist, because in Brazil, the new accomplice to escape is called “Library.” Or, as Borges would say, every robbery represents the “beginning of eternity.”
