LATIN AMERICA / AMERICA LATINA
LATIN AMERICA / AMERICA LATINA
no longer controllable in our country . Anything could happen … We constantly live in agony and exactly these measures that serve to relieve the penitentiary system will be welcome . The discussion continues being about the economic question . The law says that the processed that can pay will pay them ( the telematic control devices ), one who cannot pay will be provided for by the state . We haven ’ t been told that part but we were evaluating different providers – which are a dozen – which would be the prices to know what impact it would generate on this Ministry .
JT : The support of external organisms has been very important in the past and it still is currently . But there are critics that are frequent regarding the institutional weakness in Guatemala and other countries in the region .
How do you think these weaknesses could be overcome in order to guarantee that the changes in the penitentiary system will be sustainable in the future ?
RG : The Patronate is fundamental … I believe the new penitentiary model could remain in time as we begin to show results of the implementation of the reform policy according to what the dominicans show us – they fortunately have remained in time . From the positions that we occupy what we have to do is to run to start giving results , from that moment we will find the sponsorship of all these external bodies , civil society and cooperation that will want to continue the investment . Among other cooperations , there ’ s SEJUST that is sponsoring us in centers for mothers [ deprived of liberty ] accompanied by children from 0 to 4 years old , and we are about to inaugurate a facility for 40 mothers by the middle of this year . Again , it is going to inaugurate with personnel of the new penitentiary model . It is the combination of the change of the model and the methodology , of getting the people to have an education and work because as far as they have an education and work it means that we are bringing them an opportunity that they did not have outside ; the idea should be , more than to reeducate , to start educating them because possibly they were never educated and above all to give them a job that has them entertained , something to generate money because the majority of delinquents does it for money . So what we must look for is that they have this opportunity to work . The biggest challenge is to get the teachers and to get the employers because nobody is going to get close to us because of the trust issue .
JT : In terms of international cooperation , what type of support would Guatemala like to obtain ?
RG : I think this support that we are being given is and has been ideal because we have been given economical support – because capacitating costs money – that we are clear on ; the construction of the center for mothers – which is backed by SEJUST – more operation protocols within the new system , and , additionally , a technological platform in which for the first time we started to enter the files of the inmates to be clear on when the count of the sentence starts and finishes ( because nowadays we do not clearly know or the inmate possibly knows but the penitentiary system doesn ’ t ). que las personas procesadas que no hayan cometido un delito grave o que no vayan a poner en riesgo la vida de otras personas , y si pueden continuar trabajando pues primero siempre es útil seguir su vida mientras el proceso avanza , segundo no genera más carga al Estado y no suma en este hacinamiento que ya no es controlable en nuestro país . Cualquier cosa podría pasar ... vivimos contantemente en una agonía y precisamente estas otras medidas que sirven a desahogar el sistema penitenciario van a ser bienvenidas . La discusión sigue siendo sobre la cuestión económica . La ley dice que el procesado que pueda pagar pagará [ los dispositivos de control telemático ], el que no puede pagar se hará cargo el Estado . No nos dijeron esa parte pero estamos evaluando entre los posibles proveedores – que son una docena – cuáles van a ser los precios para saber cuál sería el impacto financiero que generaría en este Ministerio .
JT : El apoyo de organismos externos ha sido muy importante en el pasado y sigue siéndolo actualmente . Pero hay críticas que son frecuentes cuanto a la debilidad institucional en Guatemala y en otros países en la región .
¿ Cómo piensa que se pueden ultrapasar esas debilidades con el objetivo de garantizar que los cambios en el sistema penitenciario sean sostenibles en el futuro ?
RG : El patronato es fundamental ... Creo que el nuevo modelo penitenciario puede permanecer en el tiempo en la medida que empecemos a mostrar resultados de la implementación de la política de reforma de acuerdo con lo que nos muestran los dominicanos – ellos afortunadamente han permanecido en el tiempo . Desde los puestos que ocupamos lo que tenemos que hacer es correr para empezar a dar resultados , desde ese momento vamos a encontrar el patrocinio de todos estos órganos externos , de sociedad civil y de cooperaciones que van a querer continuar la inversión . Entre otras cooperaciones también esta SEJUST que nos está patrocinando en centros para madres [ privadas de libertad ] acompañadas con niños de 0 a 4 años y estamos por inaugurar a mediados de este ano un espacio para 40 madres . De nuevo , se va a inaugurar con personal del nuevo modelo penitenciario . Es la combinación del cambio del modelo y de la metodología , de conseguir que las personas si tengan educación y trabajo porque en la medida que tengan educación y trabajo significa que estamos llevando por primera vez la oportunidad que posiblemente no tuvieron afuera ; la idea debería de ser , más que reeducarles ,
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