Stories from Latin America

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APAC Nova Lima Receives National Recognition

On 15 December 2011, Judge Juarez Morais de Azevedo received an honourable mention award from the Prêmio Innovare for his work with APAC Nova Lima in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The national award recognises and disseminates information about innovative practises in the Brazilian justice system.

APAC Costa Rica

Recently, PF Costa Rica completed an evaluation of the success toward meeting the goals set out in the 2011 operational plan for the APAC in the Centro Semi Institucional San Augustín in the province of Heredia. Their purpose was to identify needed adjustments going into 2012.

PF El Salvador signs agreement to implement a community service project

In August 2011, PF El Salvador signed a cooperation agreement with USAID to deliver oversight and organisational services for a community service alternative for juvenile offenders. The agreement provides financial and technical assistance with the national ministry offering a range of project options to various juvenile courts in municipalities located in the department of San Salvador.

PF Nicaragua promoting legal assistance for prisoners

In their work with prisoners, PF Nicaragua volunteers often encounter prisoners who have completed their sentences but not been released due to judicial delays as well as other legal issues. In response, the national ministry developed two partnerships resulting in agreements with The Supreme Court of Justice of Nicaragua and the American College University in Managua. The agreements create mechanisms for PF Nicaragua social defense volunteers, aided by law students, to provide assistance to review and process cases.

Blog gives voice to APAC recuperandos

In March, a Master’s student volunteering in APAC-Viçosa launched a blog featuring articles by recuperandos in the closed regime. By doing so, Luana Gerçossimo Oliveira hopes to “demystify” the figure of the recuperando for the general public by showing how respectful and receptive to learning they are. The idea grew out of a weekly writing workshop that she offered to the recuperandos at Viçosa.

Brazilian Legislators Move to Support APAC

On 5 April 2011, a group of Federal legislators launched the “Frente Parlamentar” in defense of therapeutic communities, Acolhedoras (rehabilitation communities for drug addicts), and APACs. The group of 189 deputies and 23 senators seek to create a public debate about rehabilitation needs of those in prison and struggling with drug addiction. They plan to submit a comprehensive set of proposals for government support of such programmes.

Preparing young people as agents of peace

In late 2010, PF Colombia launched a new project focused on training young people involved in crime and violence to become peacemakers in their own communities. Created in partnership with the Archdiocesan Centre for Reconciliation and Forgiveness and the Casa de Peace, the programme proposes to focus in three areas of development: restorative justice practices, pedagogy of forgiveness, and mentoring while working in context.

Promoting APAC in Bolivia

In December 2010, PF Bolivia joined its partner organization Progettomundo MLAL for a conference on restorative juvenile justice. The objective was to promote alternative models of working with juvenile offenders. To this end, PF Bolivia coordinated the participation of Dr. Paulo Carvalho, PF Brazil board chairperson, to provide an overview of the APAC methodology.

PF Mexico Offers Restorative Justice Training

At the invitation from the Instituto de Formación del Poder Judicial del Estado de Guanajuato (Training Institute of the Courts of the State of Guanajuato) PF Mexico offered a seminar on restorative justice as a part of a diploma course on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Approximately 70 judges, magistrates, lawyers and other actors from Guanajuato’s court system attended the training led by PF Mexico executive director Angeles Flores Lara on 8 and 9 November 2010.

Latin American Seminar about APAC

From 21 to 23 September, PF Brazil hosted a seminar on the APAC methodology for representatives from Prison Fellowships in four Latin American countries. Staff and volunteers provided instruction on the methodology while recuperando— the name used for prisoners in APAC— talked about their experiences in this unique prison.