On Thursday, President of the Republic José Raúl Mulino inaugurated the new Women's Rehabilitation Center La Esmeralda (CEFERE), located in the corregimiento of Las Garzas. This facility, managed by the Ministry of Government, was completed in just 18 months, providing the country with a modern penitentiary installation specialized for women deprived of their liberty. The president highlighted that the concept of these facilities aims to enhance the resocialization and reintegration of the detainees. "What is important is not only physical comfort, but also hope for the group of ladies who are serving their sentence; so that they can prepare to successfully reintegrate into society and continue working alongside their families," Mulino emphasized. Upon arriving at the Ministry, we found a penitentiary system that functioned as a deposit for human lives where humiliation was the law and human misery was trafficked, he added. "We did not come to win easy applause, but to impose order where chaos had taken control; today we see a reality where justice begins to be more just and the sentence fulfills its purpose: to return citizens capable of having a new start," stated Minister Dinoska Montalvo. The new center includes spaces dedicated to rehabilitation, training, and family coexistence. It features a classification sector, administrative area, general, family, and intimate visiting areas; recreational spaces for children, a clinic, an auditorium, training and educational workshops; a covered court, a school, dormitories for custodians, a police station, a kitchen, security and monitoring areas, access controls, watchtowers, kiosks, warehouses, a laundry, and maintenance areas. The minister also announced that the current CEFERE Cecilia Orillac de Chiari will be transformed into a Transition Center for women in a pre-liberty phase, reinforcing their social reintegration process. The project complies with United Nations regulations for the treatment of deprived persons, guaranteeing adequate conditions and respect for human rights. This project is part of the strengthening of the Panamanian penitentiary system, with an approximate investment of $22.4 million and a capacity for 520 deprived persons.
Panama Opens New Women's Rehabilitation Prison Center
Panama's president inaugurated a new $22.4 million women's prison center focused on rehabilitation and reintegration, compliant with UN standards and with a capacity for 520 inmates.
