The prison in Chile: a paradoxical opportunity for restoring rights, social insertion, and public safety

Abstract

In this article we propose that imprisonment in Chile
can offer a paradoxical and last possibility of restitution
of rights, of social insertion and of reduction of the
criminal recidivism of the imprisoned people. To do
this, we conceptually rely on the criticism made by
Ángela Davis of “human surplus” regarding those who
are deprived of liberty. As empirical support for our
central premise, we rely on various secondary sources
that speak both of the levels of social exclusion of the
population deprived of liberty in the country and of the
possibilities of reducing recidivism when conditions and
dignified treatment exist during the detention phase.
lockdown. In this sense, the current composition of
the prison system in Chile contemplates as one of its
main characteristics the high levels of vulnerability and
exclusion of people who are deprived of liberty. Likewise,
during the confinement stage, and due to the precarious
operating conditions of the Chilean penitentiary system,
these initial disadvantages are amplified, thereby
generating favorable conditions for recidivism.