The Ministry of National Security of Argentina approved this Wednesday a regulation by virtue of which “all inmates” of the penitentiary system must participate in maintenance tasks in the common areas of the prisons and will not receive any remuneration for this work. The system, although not the same, is similar to the one implemented by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, where prisoners have to do different jobs so as not to be an ‘economic burden’ for the State. The Government of Javier Milei has already accumulated eleven consecutive fiscal surpluses. Although these measures will have a small impact in economic terms, they are usually very high-profile.
The activities, which include “maintenance, cleaning, cleanliness and hygiene tasks in the own and common spaces of penitentiary establishments”, could last up to five hours a day, as stated in the regulations, already collected this Wednesday in the Official Gazette.
“With the resolution we strengthen the tasks, we establish what they are and a total period of five hours per day to carry them out,” said the Undersecretary of Penitentiary Affairs of the Ministry of Security, Julián Curi, in statements to the Argentine newspaper ‘Clarín’. .
The measure includes the almost 12,000 inmates of the Argentine penitentiary system, without distinguishing between prosecuted or convicted. Those prisoners classified as “highly dangerous” must also comply with these obligations, including several drug traffickers and even those convicted of crimes against humanity.
Curi has taken the opportunity to attack Argentine governments of the past and the ‘Kirchnerist’ period of the country, when the prisoners “were a victim and no work was required of them.” “Taking care of the cell, the pavilion and patios are basic issues and were not regulated. From the ‘Hands to Work’ program we ordered it,” he said.
A model that imitates Bukele’s
The prison model implemented by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador has attracted international attention for its forceful approach and innovative strategies to confront the problem of gangs and organized crime. An essential part of this model is the incorporation of compulsory work for prisoners, a measure aimed at both rehabilitation and the self-sustainability of the prison system.
In this scheme, inmates are integrated into work activities that range from the construction and maintenance of infrastructure to the production of goods and services that can be used by the prison system itself or even marketed. Bukele has defended this initiative as a way to reeducate inmates, forcing them to adopt strict work routines that seek to generate discipline, responsibility and skills that could be useful when reintegrating into society. According to the government, this model also has an important symbolic effect: prisoners, especially gang members, contribute to repairing the damage caused by their criminal activities.
Compulsory work has a significant economic component. The idea is that prisons are, in part, self-sustaining, reducing the fiscal burden for the State. Prisoners work in activities such as producing food for prisons, making clothes and maintaining prisons. This approach not only helps reduce costs, but also seeks to counter the perception that offenders are being “supported” by society without making contributions.
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