Inmates involved in Brazil prison massacre that killed 60 to be transferred

Brazilian authorities said Tuesday that the inmates responsible for the killings of 60 rivals (You can read the story here) at two prisons in the Amazon region will be transferred to high security federal institutions in addition to being prosecuted. Many of those slain were beheaded or dismembered in the worst bloodshed at a prison of the South American country since 1992. Amazonas state public security secretary Sergio Fontes said the transfers will begin as soon as investigations into the incidents are finished. He said there was a link between the killing of 56 inmates in a penitentiary in Manaus, the state capital, and four deaths in a smaller prison.
Four prisons in the state of Amazonas saw riots Sunday and Monday. A total of184 inmates escaped, and only 54 had been recaptured as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the local police, who set up checkpoints to hunt for fugitives. Amazonas Gov. Jose Melo said the transfers to federal prisons will focus on members of local Family of the North gang that attacked those of Sao Paulo-based First Command, Brazil's biggest criminal organization. The two fight over the control of prisons and drug routes in northern Brazil. Melo also said security in the prisons will be beefed up, with police officers permanently inside the buildings and more-thorough searches. He also ordered policemen who have been off duty or on vacation to return to the streets.
Transfers of gang leaders to federal prisons often have been followed by more violence and Amazonas authorities said they are worried that the First Command may retaliate for the slayings in the coming days. The Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex in Manaus held 1,224 inmates when the riot began, although it is designed for only 592, the state public security office said. The prison is run by a private company that is paid according to the number of inmates. The governor also announced a public-private partnership to invest $30 million in a new penitentiary with capacity of 3,600 inmates to address the overcrowding.