Overview
- The Executive published Decreto Legislativo N.º 1742 on Sunday, November 8, 2026, authorizing the Armed Forces to take temporary and exceptional roles supporting the Instituto Nacional Penitenciario (INPE) and the Policía Nacional (PNP) in prisons declared in emergency.
- The decree specifically allows military personnel to hold perimeter security, reinforce entry checks, neutralize unauthorized drones, detect illegal radio antennas and provide technological, logistical and intelligence support for blocking clandestine communications.
- The measure is presented as the first legislative decree issued after Congress granted legislative faculties to the Executive and is framed as a support role that does not replace INPE or PNP responsibilities.
- The government cites a deep prison crisis as rationale, noting that as of August 2026 the system held more than 107,000 inmates against roughly 42,000 places and that 494 inmates are linked to 217 criminal groups including Tren de Aragua.
- The decree complements extended states of emergency through January 2027 for five high‑risk prisons and plans to build two new penitentiary centers in Huacho, and its effectiveness will depend on coordination between the military, INPE and police and on oversight of civil‑military roles.