Érica Santana
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - Brazil's first class of federal penitentiary agents graduated yesterday from a special course in Brasília. The nine-week program consisted of training in the use of weapons, personal defense, first aid and dealing with crisis situations. The agents also studied human rights and citizenship. The 164 agraduating agents will work at the Catanduvas prison in the state of Paraná.The prison is one of five maximum security installations built especially for dangerous criminals, with 200 individual cells where the inmates are kept isolated from contact with other inmates.

Speaking at the graduating ceremony, minister of Justice, Marcio Thomaz Bastos, declared that the new agents are part of a plan to make prison life hard for the inmates, while respecting their human rights.

Translation: Allen Bennett