by Jairo Acuña – Alfaro, Team Leader Governance, UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean; & Audrey Olivier Muralt, Deputy Secretary-General, Association for the Prevention of Torture

“The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unprecedented multidimensional crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean. The first stage of response to the pandemic has focused on containing the health crisis. However, the socio-economic consequences of these responses have also highlighted an urgent need to focus on the impact on justice and security institutions in the region.

The recent UNDP Working Paper – “Penitentiary Systems and the COVID-19 Emergency” – identified three major challenges facing penitentiary systems in the region prior to the pandemic:

• High incarceration rate, with an estimated 1.5 million people deprived of liberty.
• Severe, overcrowding in prisons – averaging 64% in the region – making it one of the highest in the world.
• Procedural delays, with a worrying 36.3% of prison population held in detention on remand.”

To read the full story, visit UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean website.