Temporal Trends in Tuberculosis Among People Deprived of Liberty in Brazil (2015–2024)

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis , is a serious problem in Brazilian prisons, worsened by precarious conditions. Thus, analyzing temporal trends in tuberculosis in people deprived of liberty in Brazil between 2015 and 2024 is essential to guide control and prevention actions in the penitentiary system. Descriptive, quantitative study using secondary SISDEPEN data on tuberculosis in incarcerated individuals (2015–2024). Analyses considered prison regimes (sex, prison cell, home detention with and without electronic monitoring). SPSS (v.20) was used to calculate means and standard deviations by year and region. Linear associations between year/region and variables were evaluated using Pearson correlation (p<0.05). The prison population increased from 132,631 in 2015 to 357,994 in 2024, with an annual mean of 2,897.3 tuberculosis cases (SD = 2,755.7). There was no significant trend of increase in the total number of cases ( r = 0.160; p=0.266), in men ( r = 0.159; p=0.195) or women ( r = 0.186; p=0.195) when analyzed separately. However, temporal evolution indicated growth in infections by sex, especially among women ( r = 0.517; p=0.000), followed by men ( r = 0.319; p=0.024). Physical cells remain the main focus of infection, accounting for most records. Home detention with electronic monitoring showed significant growth in cases in both sexes, especially men (p=0.013), with a marked but smaller increase among women (p=0.045). Home detention without monitoring showed a trend toward growth in men (p=0.055), suggesting increasing vulnerability. Regionally, correlations showed greater population and case increases in regions with higher prison density, especially the Southeast ( r = 0.430; p = 0.002), and in female prison units ( r = 0.520; p = 0.000). The epidemiological profile indicates predominance of cases in physical confinement facilities but progressive expansion in alternative sentencing environments. Despite apparent stability in data associated with physical confinement facilities overall, the findings reveal emerging risk in home detention with electronic monitoring and regional inequalities, especially in the Southeast. Active surveillance to prevent underreporting in prison cells and reinforcement of control measures across prison regimes are essential to combat tuberculosis infection.