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Last Updated: Feb 4, 2020 - 3:03:41 PM |
Photo: OAS
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The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of Honduras today agreed to develop a Penitentiary Strategy to strengthen the capacities of the National Penitentiary Institute of Honduras to restructure its prison system and contribute to the social reintegration of detainees in the Central American country.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, said during the signing of the agreement that “if you aspire to build societies free of violence and organized crime, you need to have penitentiary centers that educate and offer the opportunity to rehabilitate and reintegrate people who committed crimes into society.” "A large part of the prison population will at some point recover their freedom, and we need them to be prepared to reintegrate into society," said Secretary General Almagro.
The Deputy Minister of Security and General Coordinator of the Cabinet of Prevention, Security and Defense, Luis Suazo, reaffirmed his country's commitment to work together with the OAS to improve the national prison system. "We have a great expectation regarding the assistance that we will receive from the OAS, because it will give us a clear and inclusive vision that will help us to humanize the prison system in Honduras," he said.
The strategy on which the OAS and Honduras will work - for a period of 9 months - will incorporate a human rights approach to the care provided by the system in the custody of detained persons.
Among the lines of action are:
- Improvement of the administration and management and the infrastructure of the prison system
- Security and control and life "within the walls"
- Integral rehabilitation and reintegration
- Post Penitentiary Assistance
- Transparency and accountability
The agreement was signed in the framework of the Fourth Meeting of the Authorities Responsible for Penitentiary and Prison Policies of the Americas, held today and tomorrow in the Dominican Republic with the assistance of representatives of 29 OAS member states.
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