CCR Rafey in Santiago delivers 378 certifications to inmates to accelerate their social and labor reintegration

The Rafey Men’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR) in this city graduated 170 incarcerated individuals and awarded 378 certifications in academic, technical, and human development programs, in a commitment to strengthen their preparation for the labor market and facilitate their reintegration into society.

The ceremony, held under the theme “Your journey does not end here,” brought together inmates who completed primary and secondary education, INFOTEP technical courses, personal development programs, and university training, demonstrating the reach of the penitentiary model focused on rehabilitation.

The director of CCR Rafey, Fran Cabrera Paniagua, reported that several of the graduates obtained two and even three certifications in different areas, which is why 378 certificates were awarded, even though 170 inmates participated.

“We are preparing men for freedom, but for true freedom; the one that guarantees peace, the one that returns fathers to their children and children to their fathers,” expressed Cabrera Paniagua.

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The official maintained that the reformed penitentiary system has left behind the traditional model of incarceration to become a space for personal transformation. “It is no longer a graveyard for living men, but a center for the reconstruction of men to return them to society,” he stated.

Among the training programs provided are the Path to Freedom program and technical courses in residential electricity, supermarket preparation, and other trades, developed by INFOTEP to facilitate the labor insertion of inmates upon regaining their freedom.

Cabrera Paniagua also explained that some inmates participate in progressive reintegration programs through supervised work and family permits, which allow them to work in companies or spend time with their families temporarily before completing their sentences, as part of the adaptation process to life in freedom.

At the graduation, 20 inmates from the primary level, 13 from the secondary level, 335 from the Personal Development and Coaching Program, 401 in technical courses taught by INFOTEP, and one graduate from the Open University for Adults (UAPA) were certified. Because many participants took more than one program, the number of certifications exceeds the number of graduates.

With this initiative, the CCR Rafey Men’s Center and the General Directorate of Penitentiary and Correctional Services seek to consolidate education and technical training as tools to reduce recidivism and promote effective social reintegration.