This Argentine Prison Cooperative Ended Recidivism

[marmar]

This Argentine Prison Cooperative Ended Recidivism
Inside a maximum security prison in Argentina, Liberté offers more than education and recreation for incarcerated people—it offers lessons in solidarity.

By David Flier
Nov 26, 2024


(YES! Magazine) One man bakes bread while a couple of others prepare pizzas for lunch. Nearby, a large farm buzzes with activity as many men cultivate leafy greens while others tend to chickens. Adjacent to the kitchen lies a soccer field, surrounded by lush plants and a pond teeming with fish.

Just meters away stands a library where several men either watch an educational program on television or immerse themselves in books. In a nearby carpentry workshop, three men work on furniture and model ships, while another room serves as a textile workshop.

These diverse activities are part of Liberté, a cooperative association operating within Unit Number 15 of the maximum security complex of Batán, located in Mar del Plata, Argentina. This penitentiary facility houses approximately 1,600 inmates. But many individuals here, deprived of their liberty, have found a way to reclaim some for themselves.

....(snip)....

Liberté operates on a self-management model, where each participant is responsible for doing their own work to earn their own money. “This fosters autonomy and self-esteem, essential values for successful integration into society,” Pampa explains.

Liberté has launched various work projects, including leatherwork, carpentry, blacksmithing, radio programming, baking, beekeeping, and organic gardening workshops. There is even a small grocery store where incarcerated people can purchase their food and a restaurant named Punto de Paz. The meals prepared in Liberté’s kitchen have received official permission from the Buenos Aires government to be sold in supermarkets outside the prison. ...............(more)

https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2024/11/26/support-jail-prison-argentina

[Nittersing]

1. A prison that rehabilitates!

Interesting that it was started by one of the inmates.