Laura F. Galindo, María P. Pascagaza, Laura Pulido

Universidad de La Sabana 

Nota del autor Laura F. Galindo, María P. Pascagaza, Laura Pulido

Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Sabana.

Laura Fernanda Galindo(lauragave@unisabana.edu.co).

 Do you know that Jails and prisons in Colombia are home to around 115,792 people
deprived of their liberty? And that prisioners have problems during their stay in these
institutions until they leave them? (CICR, 2018).
Initially, Arenas and Cerezo (2016) affirm that the reality of these institutions is
they lack of the necessary resources to guarantee a dignified life, they are overcrowded, there
are high percentage of unionized prisoners, complaints for inhuman/degrading treatment.
Also there exist a worrying organization, there is no separation between syndicated and
convicted prisoners, there are lack of spaces for recreation and resocialization, poor state of
infrastructure, low number of officials working in penitentiary institutions and lack both
physical and mental health services for prisioners, which demonstrates not only that the living
conditions of these people are degrading and inhuman, but it is also an obstacle to their
reintegration into society.
In addition to the above, the process of post-prison resocialization of an inmate is
complicated due to since someone is released from prison that person is stigmatized as a
possible recidivist, also is seen as different and dangerous, so starts to experiences social
exclusion, this leads to the subject have a lack of opportunities preventing an effective
reintegration into society (Del socorro, 2015).
As sustenance of the above, in one hand according to Paulo Freire, dehumanization
is a historical reality, and this is reflected in the prison contexts and the moment of
reintegration where there are power relations framed in oppressed oppressors, inmates are
often judged for their crimes and actions that challenges to be behind bars, but we do not
know the social dynamics that make this type of phenomena sweat, when there are people
who have lived oppressed at some point they will want to fight against the person who did
less. (Freire, 2006)
And in the other hand, violence generates destruction and crisis in communities,
clearly the jail is a community where instead of redressing what they did generates a high
focus of violence, this is why justice has such an important role in rebuilding the norms of
coexistence and respect, this helps to improve the present conflicts, although it seems that this
is only justice, the dynamics within the prison could contribute to the process to improve it.
(Beristan, 2000)
Given the above, everything seems a little bit darker, but fortunalety exist different
organizations that promotes inclusion and has a transformative vision of this contex, one of
those is the foundation internal action, is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 by Johana
Bahamon, which aims to dignify and increase the quality of life of the prison and post-prison
population in Colombia. This foundation has linked with the private, public and national and
international organizations to transform, claim and reconcile this population with civil
society, through 4 programs: Internal Theater, Internal Growth, Freedom House and Internal
Work (Fundación acción interna, 2019).
This entity's mission is to improve the quality of life of people in prison institutions
or who was in them who are in a situation of vulnerability through programs and activities
and has 4 objectives: internal growth, internal art, internal work, and post-employment
(Fundación acción interna, 2019).
A specific case of this foundation is the Good Shepherd Prison, an institution that
houses approximately 2,086 women, who, for the most part, have been arrested for micro-
trafficking crimes, a figure that has increased since 1993, of which 93% are mothers, and of
these 52% head of the family, so in many cases they commit these crimes as the only
alternative to sustain themselves economically (CICR, 2018).
These women in this institution suffer from all the aforementioned vulnerabilities
such as: deterioration of the bathrooms, lack of medical attention, lack of mental help for
complex family or personal problems, etc (Jaramillo, 2018).
The precarious situation that happens in prison dehumanizes the inmates, Paulo
Fraire affirms that through language men begin to work together, humanize themselves and
from that they acquire responsibility for what they are doing, which we see evidenced to a
large extent with the internal action foundation that seeks to give a space and humanize these
people deprived of freedom from a transformative point of view. (freire, 2006)

Fortunalety, in this same line of action, in Good Shepherd Prison there is a

differential gender approach, where Internal Action foundation (2019) seeks to make this
population visible and likewise to reconcile the women who were imprisoned with civil
society. This, in order to reduce discrimination and generate greater opportunities, since these
actions involve social inclusion and overcoming poverty (Fundación acción interna, 2019).

But also the state should find an alternative to combat these problems through
prevention and reintegration into society instead of being focused solely on eliminating the
insecurity variable (CICR, 2018), thus generating strategies that seek equality, promotion of
opportunities and education to generate better alternatives for economic support, which the
foundation seeks to generate through its projects.
 The laws in Colombia in the letter are magnificent, not for nothing we have the best
public policies, but when it comes to putting them into practice this is totally different.
According to document CONPES 3828 of May 19 (2015) most previous penitentiary
policies, have an approach linked to coverage since there is more than 50% overcrowding
within prisons. However, the improvement is sought not only in terms of coverage but also in
terms of service quality through sanitary and technological regulation, the improvement of
care, resocialization, reintegration and accompaniment programs for the prison population.
Likewise, a preventive approach is proposed in which, through the structuring of projects of
private entities, such as, Acción Interna, the rates of criminal recidivism can be reduced
inside and outside prisons. This is how from this COMPES, and through Law 1709 of 2014 a
comprehensive criminal and penitentiary policy is declared, which includes occupational
reintegration plans through different work activities, teachings and productive projects that
allow compliance with the Shame with human dignity.

In conclusion we know that this law is not what it seems, We can also see how the
dominant narratives frame what one should believe about people who are in a prison context,
where they are silenced and marginalized, that is why listening to their narratives is so
important and this is evidenced in the work of the foundation already that allows this group to
be empowered and leave the silence and shame to start building community with the regrets
they have something that Colombian justice is not doing (Nelson y Prilleltensky, 2010)
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una nueva política criminal. Revista Criminalidad, 58 (2): 175-195.

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insostenible

Del socorro, R. (2015). RESOCIALIZACIÓN Y DIGNIDAD HUMANA EN EL

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