The General Directorate of Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) has removed the chief of the Tires Prison due to “sufficiently serious suspicions and indications” warranting his immediate return to the Carregueira Prison and the initiation of a disciplinary process.
The disciplinary process, currently at the inquiry stage, is being conducted by a magistrate from the Public Prosecutor’s Office through the DGRSP’s Audit and Inspection Service (SAI) and is subject to confidentiality.
The officer, appointed to Tires on a substitution basis following the previous chief’s retirement, has returned to Carregueira Prison, where he remains employed as a prison guard without holding any leadership position. His short tenure of about one month in Tires involved violations considered “sufficiently serious and severe” to justify the prompt removal, as stated by DGRSP.
Following the chief’s removal and return order, the National Union of the Prison Guard Corps (SNCGP) called a local strike at Tires Prison. Female prison guards commenced the strike today, April 22, continuing until May 31, demanding increased security and the chief’s reinstatement.
Hermínio Barradas, president of the Union of Prison Guard Chiefs (ASCCGP), to which the dismissed chief belongs, stated that the disciplinary process is “an attempt by the DGRSP to conceal the resource shortage and poor management of the few chiefs that remain.”
Barradas claimed the disciplinary process was launched to “rationalize the poor decision to send the chief back to Carregueira” after he clashed with the prison’s director over safety protocols he wanted to implement, supported by the female prison guards.
Frederico Morais, president of the SNCGP, indicated that the disciplinary action was initiated on the same day the union held a meeting in Tires, leading to the strike call and believes it was “retaliation” for the strike and the union’s stance “against the director’s actions.”
The disciplinary process reportedly commenced immediately after the meeting that decided on the strike to demand the chief’s return.
Morais reported that allegations against the chief only involved minor delays in reporting to duty, substantiated by internal surveillance footage. The chief, according to Morais, denies any delays, claiming he stopped only to discuss work matters with the guards he oversaw.
“They are engaging in a very dangerous game to try to discredit the union,” accused Frederico Morais.
The union president informed that about 90% of the workforce had adhered to the strike across three shifts since midnight, impacting the prison’s operations, especially in terms of recreation, non-certified training, and non-contracted work provided by external companies.
Morais expressed hope that during the remaining hours from 4 PM to midnight, participation would reach 100%, as it only involved shift workers, unlike fixed-schedule employees who “never strike.”
[The news was updated at 19:42]
