Police in Rio de Janeiro are searching for more than 250 prisoners who failed to return to jail after being allowed to spend Christmas with their families. The inmates had been released on Christmas Eve, and were expected to report back by 22:00 local time on 30 December. While most of the 1,785 prisoners granted leave returned to jail, more than 250 did not.

Brazil's National Congress decisively voted on Tuesday to end temporary prisoner releases. These releases previously allowed prisoners to visit families or engage in social activities.

The fact-check explains that calendars defined by states for the Christmas temporary release and news about the benefit show that it happens on the eve of the holiday.[1] It notes that criminal lawyer Henrique Attuch, consulted by Projeto Comprova, said there is no way to establish in advance a number of prisoners who will be benefited, since the measure is not automatic and depends on case‑by‑case evaluation under the Execution of Penalties Law.[1] The article adds: "At Christmas 2023, according to a survey by G1, the temporary release benefited little more than 52 thousand prisoners in the country. Of these, 49 thousand (95%) returned to prison within the stipulated period."[1] It then stresses that Law 14.843 of April 11, 2024 restricted temporary release to prisoners enrolled in vocational, secondary or higher education and that those who began serving sentences earlier are not affected and may still obtain Christmas release if requirements are met.[1]

A news release from the Brazilian Senate reports: "The National Congress decided, on Tuesday (28), to end the possibility of temporary releases of prisoners to visit the family and to participate in activities that contribute to social coexistence."[4] It explains that President Lula’s veto, which had restored those possibilities in the Penal Execution Law, was overturned in a joint session of deputies and senators, and that the vetoed parts will now be promulgated and become part of Law 14.843 of 2024, which regulates temporary release of prisoners.[4] With the veto overridden, "the benefit of temporary release will be granted to detainees in semi‑open regime only if it is to attend vocational courses, secondary or higher education."[4] The article also states that, out of 835,000 inmates in Brazil, only about 182,000 would have had the right to temporary leave under the prior rules.[4]

A bill recently approved in the Brazilian Congress, which still awaits President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's sanction, aims at extinguishing the right of certain groups of inmates to temporarily leave prisons during holidays. The temporary release is granted for seven subsequent days, five times a year, during holidays like Mothers’ Day and Christmas. Since 2018, only five percent of the prison population in Brazil was allowed to temporarily leave the prisons, which is about 34,000 convicts.

In total, 47,531 prisoners were granted a temporary release over the holidays, 5.1 percent of whom — 2,416 — did not return.

A report from G1 about the metropolitan region of São Luís (Maranhão) states: "Judge Francisco Ferreira de Lima, of the 1st Court of Penal Executions, authorized the temporary Christmas release of 736 prisoners in semi‑open regime in the Greater Island (São Luís, São José de Ribamar, Paço do Lumiar and Raposa) during Christmas week."[2] The beneficiaries are released from 9 a.m. on Tuesday the 23rd and must return to prison units by 6 p.m. on December 29.[2] The article recalls that in May 2024 Congress overturned Lula’s veto to the bill ending temporary release in holidays and commemorative dates, further restricting temporary leaves and prohibiting prisoners from leaving prison temporarily to visit family or practice activities that contribute to social reintegration, while preserving the possibility of release only for those attending certain courses.[2]

Symbolic vote applies to commemorative dates; authorization for detainees to study and work outside the prison system is maintained.

The website of the Court of Justice of the Federal District (TJDFT) publishes the 2024 calendar of temporary releases for prisoners and explains that "temporary releases, known as ‘saidões’, are provided for in the Penal Execution Law. The law establishes that persons serving sentence in semi‑open regime may obtain authorization for temporary leave from the prison establishment, without direct surveillance, to visit relatives, study externally and other activities that contribute to return to social coexistence."[3] It notes that individuals in semi‑open regime who have received authorization from the Court of Penal Executions through specific decisions have the right to the benefit.[3] The 2024 calendar lists nine temporary releases, including the 9th temporary release from December 23 to December 27.[3]

Brazil released 57,000 prisoners in the Christmas temporary exit (“saidinha de Natal”), and less than 5% did not return to prison. A survey carried out by Folha, based on information from state secretariats responsible for the prison system, shows that 56,924 prisoners had the benefit granted by the courts in 18 units of the federation. Of these, 2,741 did not return (4.8% of the total).

Guidance from the São Paulo State Attorney General’s Office explains who has the right to temporary release: "The prisoner who serves sentence in semi‑open regime has the right to temporary release, provided that by the date of the release he has served one sixth of the total sentence if he is a first‑time offender, or one quarter if he is a repeat offender."[6] It adds that the prisoner must have good conduct and that the temporary leaves are granted by the Corrections Judge and occur on specific dates such as "Christmas/New Year; Easter; Mother’s Day".[6]

The Christmas temporary exit granted to approximately 45,000 inmates in seven Brazilian states resulted in at least two thousand prisoners not returning to prison establishments. The number of prisoners who did not return to prisons occurred in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Amapá and the Federal District. It should be noted that this total may be even higher, since a national balance has not yet been released.

The Chamber of Deputies approved, this Wednesday (20), the bill that limits the “saidinha” of prisoners. The text ends the possibility of temporary exits for convicts to visit family members during holidays and commemorative dates, maintaining the benefit only for study and work. The proposal still depends on the president’s decision and subsequent developments regarding vetoes and promulgation.

Conectas, a Brazilian human-rights organization, explains the rules on temporary releases: "As things currently stand, criminal law allows prisoners to leave up to five times a year for a period of up to seven days to visit family." The text notes that these leaves occur on public holidays such as Christmas and are known as *saídinha* or *saídão*. It discusses common myths and presents contextual data but does not give a specific nationwide figure for how many prisoners were released at Christmas 2024, nor does it mention a number near 52,000 for that year.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security’s National Secretariat for Penal Policies (Senappen) provides official information on Brazil’s prison system and related policies. This UNESCO page identifies the contact and website for Senappen, the federal body responsible for prison policy administration.

A Jovem Pan News video description on Facebook states: "More than 46 thousand prisoners had the right to the benefit of temporary release, the Christmas ‘saidinha’."[9] It mentions that this happened "in 2024, following the guidelines of ..." and discusses that the measure allows prisoners to leave on certain dates and that there is political debate over the restriction of temporary release.[9] Although focused on commentary, the description presents the figure of "more than 46 thousand" prisoners having Christmas temporary release in that year, not 52,000.[9]

Data from the National System of Penal Policies (Senappen) indicate that, in the first half of 2024, 107,331 authorizations for temporary exit were granted in the country. In the same period of the following year, the number fell to 103,898, a reduction of 3,433 authorizations, equivalent to 3%. The survey, however, does not include all states, and refers to various types of temporary exits, not only Christmas or end-of-year releases.

Brazil Counsel, a legal blog for foreigners in Brazil, describes the practice known as *saídão*: "Select prisoners are released to spend the holidays with their families. It's common around Christmas as well as Mother's Day and Father's Day." It explains that under Law 7.210/84, "select prisoners are released to spend the holidays with their families" and that this is a form of temporary release for good behavior. The post provides general context on the holiday furlough practice but does not give any nationwide figure for how many prisoners were released at Christmas 2024 or mention a number around 52,000.

The message that announces the release of 50,000 prisoners at the end of the year is false and has been circulating for at least a year. The text claims that tens of thousands of prisoners would be released simultaneously during the end-of-year period, but journalistic verification found no official data or records supporting these figures. In previous years, the number of prisoners benefiting from temporary exits at Christmas was around 50,000, but the viral message exaggerates and distorts the context to spread alarm.

Approved by the National Congress and signed with vetoes by the federal government in early 2024, Bill No. 14,843 substantially alters the penal law by eliminating the right to temporary release for family visits and leisure activities. The benefit was maintained only for releases related to external work and study.

A YouTube news segment (SMNI Newsline World) reports that "the Brazilian government is analyzing a new project to put an end to the temporary release of prisoners" after some used this benefit to escape during Christmas. The report notes that in Rio de Janeiro "authorities continued to search for more than 250 prisoners who did not come back after they were temporarily released on Christmas Day," and says the temporary release (known as *saídinha*) allows prisoners to resocialize and maintain bonds. The video mentions the 250 fugitives figure but does not state a nationwide total of prisoners released at Christmas 2024 or any figure near 52,000 for that year.

An Instagram post by a public‑interest profile about the prison system says: "More than 46 thousand people deprived of liberty had the right to the Christmas temporary release (‘saidinha de Natal’) in Brazil."[7] It specifies that temporary release on commemorative dates lasts up to seven days and notes that, for this reason, only in January can states report the total numbers of prisoners who returned within the established period.[7] The post refers to the same data point of "more than 46 thousand" beneficiaries of Christmas temporary release, consistent with other media references.[7]

This video report explains that a recent change in federal law in 2024 further restricted temporary exits. Since then, the benefit is only for prisoners of low dangerousness and exclusively for educational purposes, such as vocational courses, high school or higher education. In São Paulo, the Court of Justice defined up to 20 days of temporary exits per year, occurring about every three months and not necessarily during holidays, except for the end of the year.

A YouTube program from Jovem Pan analyzes the effects of restrictions on temporary release and states that "more than 46 thousand prisoners received the Christmas temporary release in 2025, equivalent to 6.5% of the country’s prison population."[5] Commentators note that from 2024 onward the number of detainees who can enjoy such releases is much smaller than before 2024, due to legal changes requiring proof of time served and enrollment in courses while in semi‑open regime.[5]

A Reddit thread discussing the BBC article on Christmas releases in Rio de Janeiro repeats the information that officials were hunting more than 250 inmates who failed to return after temporary release for the holiday and notes that "In 2022, 43% of the individuals who received parole did not go back to prison, as reported by the Rio de Janeiro state penitentiary department." The discussion is user‑generated commentary and does not provide verified nationwide statistics for Christmas 2024; it does not mention 52,000 prisoners being released at that time.

A UOL article discussing whether former president Bolsonaro would have the right to a Christmas temporary release in 2025 explains that the legislation and the context of his imprisonment make any hypothesis of authorization unlikely and that the tendency is that he will remain in custody.[10] It recalls that temporary release is now restricted and depends on specific requirements such as being in semi‑open regime, having good behavior, and attending vocational, secondary or higher education courses, with prior changes in 2024 that ended temporary releases for visiting family and for social activities on holidays.[10]

The first temporary exit of inmates from the prison system for the year 2026 began on Tuesday in the state’s prisons. The report explains that the new federal law in force since 2024 links the release strictly to education: the inmate only has authorization to leave if it is to attend vocational supplementary courses or classes in high school and higher education. It also notes that inmates who already had the temporary exit benefit authorized or who were serving semi-open sentences before April 22, 2024, continue to have the benefit even after the legal changes.

Background knowledge: Brazilian media and fact‑checking organizations reported that at Christmas 2023, slightly more than 52,000 prisoners nationwide were granted temporary release and that about 95% returned within the permitted period, based on data compiled by G1.[1] For Christmas 2024, after the approval and implementation of Law 14.843/2024 restricting temporary release, available media and social posts cite figures around 46,000 beneficiaries, not 52,000.[9][7] There is no official nationwide statistic published yet for Christmas 2024, and fact‑checkers note that it is not possible to establish a precise national number in advance due to the individualized judicial authorization process.[1]