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Penitentiary Authorities of the OAS Member States Adopt Recommendations to Strengthen Penitentiary and Prison Systems

Representatives of the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a series of recommendations aimed at improving practices within the region’s prison systems during the Fifth Meeting of Officials Responsible for the Penitentiary and Prison Policies of the OAS Member States (GAPECA V), held on October 21–22, 2025, in Antigua, Guatemala.

The 28 recommendations adopted are designed to transform prison systems in the Americas into spaces centered on human dignity, rehabilitation, and social reintegration, while ensuring public safety.

The recommendations highlight the importance of modernizing prison management models through evidence-based action plans and measurable results. Member States are encouraged to adopt public policies that integrate security, rehabilitation, and effective justice, supported by continuous evaluation systems, performance indicators, and transparent administration. The officials also urged the implementation of comprehensive national strategies to address prison overcrowding with reduction targets by 2030, prioritizing alternatives to incarceration, modernization of infrastructure based on regional standards, and the professionalization of prison personnel.

Another key focus of the recommendations is rehabilitation with a differentiated and specialized approach, recognizing the specific needs of different groups of persons deprived of liberty, including youth, women, and high-security profiles. The officials promoted the use of innovative technologies to strengthen institutional security, and to support education, healthcare, family communication, and post-release reintegration, while ensuring respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the protection of personal data.

Finally, the Member States agreed to enhance regional cooperation to counter the infiltration of organized crime into prison systems, strengthen institutional-integrity programs, and establish early-warning mechanisms and specialized prison intelligence units. The OAS, through its Department of Public Security (DPS), was entrusted with coordinating the establishment of an Inter-American Penitentiary Technical Cooperation Network, a Regional Prison Training Program, and a Regional Penitentiary Information System, consolidating a sustained hemispheric effort toward safer, more humane, and more effective prison systems.

Argentina will host the Sixth Meeting (GAPECA VI)

During the opening session of the meeting, held under the theme “Prison Renewal in the Americas: Technology, Differentiated Approaches, and Human Dignity,” the President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, emphasized: “Guatemala is determined to undertake a deep reform of its penitentiary system. We have the determination and the political will to make it happen. This government is committed to carrying it forward, and we believe that doing so with the shared experience and support of other countries facing similar challenges is an advantage.”

For his part, OAS Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin underscored: “Crime cannot be resolved through mass incarceration or by building more prisons. Incarceration without comprehensive strategies for prevention, reintegration, and effective justice may in fact perpetuate cycles of violence, exclusion, and recidivism that fuel insecurity. The purpose of imprisonment—or of alternative measures—must not be limited to punishment. It should aim to protect society, reduce recidivism, and guarantee rehabilitation and social reintegration.”

Participants discussed the following topics:

• Prison Renewal in the Americas: Technology, Differentiated Approaches, and Human Dignity
• Future Prison Management: Integrating Security and Rehabilitation in Sustainable Models
• Lessons from the Field: Remodeling and Construction of Prisons to Reduce Overcrowding and Safeguard Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
• Rehabilitation with a Differentiated Approach: Good Practices and Adaptation Strategies in Prison Systems in the Americas
• High-Security Profiles and Infiltration by Organized Crime in Prison Systems
• Technology and Prison Security: Innovative Risk-Prevention and Management Solutions

Reference: E-063/25