Brazil’s Lower House Passes Sentencing Bill That Could Cut Bolsonaro’s Prison Time

Overview

• The Chamber of Deputies approved the so‑called PL da Dosimetria 291–148 in the early hours of Dec. 10 and sent it to the Senate.
• The text changes sentencing for crimes committed in the same context so the most serious offense prevails with a fractional addition, and it accelerates progression to leave the closed regime after one‑sixth of the sentence in qualifying cases.
• Relator Paulinho da Força says the new rules could reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s time in a closed regime to roughly two years and four months, though legal experts dispute automatic recalculation.
• Senator Esperidião Amin was designated rapporteur in the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee, which is slated to take up the bill next week before any potential floor vote.
• The Planalto has come out against the measure, with signals of possible vetoes targeting benefits to the coup leadership if the text reaches the presidency, while the Chamber vote followed a tumultuous session with protests and forced removals.