Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation explained

Agency Name:Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Native Name:Departamento de Corrección y Rehabilitación de Puerto Rico
Type:Department
Motto:Security, Rehabilitation
Jurisdiction:executive branch
Headquarters:San Juan, PR
Chief1 Name:Ana I. Escobar Pabón
Chief1 Position:Secretary
Keydocument1:Article VI of the Constitution of Puerto Rico
Keydocument2:Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1993
Website:www.ac.gobierno.pr
Employees:6,647[1]

The Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (Spanish; Castilian: Departamento de Corrección y Rehabilitación de Puerto Rico) is the law enforcement executive department of the government responsible for structuring, developing, and coordinating the public policies in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. The department has authority over its correctional system and the rehabilitation of its adult and young population who have broken the law.[2]

History

In August 2015, the department was one of eight identified by the Department of Justice as "high-risk" recipients of federal money, based on audits showing "irregular spending and lax internal controls".[3]

In January 2016, $10 million of delayed payments to the department's vendor, Trinity Services Group, threatened to interrupt the food supply to all of its 12,500 inmates.[4]

In 2018 the department under secretary planned to transfer as many as 1,200 inmates outside the island with the intention of transferring 30% of all inmates.[5] The program intended to save millions and close six prisons.[6] The program received criticism from families of inmates concerned about keeping in contact with their relatives and the negative effects the plan could have on rehabilitating inmates.[7] [8] The program remained on hold a year later due to lack of funds and contract issues for the transfers.[9]

In February 2021 the Juvenile Institutions Administrations reported an increase in mental health incidents among juvenile inmates.[10]

Secretary

See main article: Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation of Puerto Rico.

The Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Spanish; Castilian: Secretario de Corrección y Rehabilitación) is the appointed official responsible for setting the public policy of Puerto Rico for its corrections, rehabilitation and parole systems.[11]

In 2021 Ana I. Escobar Pabón was confirmed as secretary of the department.[12]

Agencies

Prisons

There are no private prisons in Puerto Rico.

In March 1993 the government made a three-year agreement with city officials in Appleton, Minnesota to fill all 516 beds of their Prairie Correctional Facility with Puerto Rican inmates. The prison had been built by the city and was sitting empty.[13]

In March 2012, Puerto Rico contracted with Corrections Corporation of America to send as many as 480 inmates to CCA's Cimarron Correctional Facility near Cushing, Oklahoma.[14] The three-year contract was brought to a premature close in June 2013 after unit-wide fights and "disruptive events", with the inmates sent home.[15]

Current

Following is a list of Puerto Rico's 33 state prisons.[16] This list does not include federal prisons (such as the Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo) or jails of other jurisdictions.

The main women's prison, Escuela Industrial para Mujeres Vega Alta, opened in 1954, replacing a prison in Areceibo. Work began on the facility in 1952. Puerto Rico also operates the Hogar de Adaptación Social en Vega Alta, which opened in 1987, and the Hogar Intermedio para Mujeres in Río Piedras, which opened in 1996.[17]

Former

Puerto Rico's former prison facilities include:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Comunicaciones_MJ. por. 2020-11-25. Corrección enumera su población y sus retos en las vistas de transición. 2021-06-08. Microjuris al Día. es.
  2. "Contáctenos ." Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of Puerto Rico. Retrieved on May 19, 2010. "Dirección Física: Ave. Teniente Cesar Gonzalez. Esq. Calle Juan Calaf #34. Urb. Industrial Tres Monjitas. San Juan, PR 00917"
  3. News: Planas. Roque. DOJ Cracks Down on Puerto Rico Over Financial Mismanagement. 26 July 2016. Huffington Post. 19 Aug 2015.
  4. News: Puerto Rico money woes threaten meals for 12,500 prison inmates. 26 July 2016. ETE. Fox News Latino. 22 Jan 2016.
  5. Web site: 2018-03-27. Puerto Rico trasladará a miles de presos a EEUU para ahorrar dinero. Puerto Rico will transfer thousands of prisoners to United States to save money. 2021-06-08. Diario de Amerícas. es.
  6. Web site: 2019-01-09. Someterán una propuesta para trasladar reos a Estados Unidos. (They will) submit a proposal to transfer prisoners to the United States. 2021-06-08. El Nuevo Día. es.
  7. Web site: 2018-03-31. Familiares de presos se oponen a los traslados. Families of prisoners are opposed to transfers. 2021-06-08. El Nuevo Día. es.
  8. Web site: 2018-04-23. El plan de traslado de reos genera debate sobre efecto en rehabilitación. The transfer plan of prisoners generates debate of effects on rehabilitation. 2021-06-08. El Nuevo Día. es.
  9. Web site: Arbasetti. Joel Cintrón. 2019-04-17. "En pausa" el programa de traslado de confinados a cárceles privadas de Estados Unidos. "On pause" the program to transfer inmates to private prisons in the United States. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417132542/https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2019/04/en-pausa-el-programa-de-traslado-de-confinados-a-carceles-privadas-de-estados-unidos/. 2019-04-17. 2021-06-08. Centro de Periodismo Investigativo. es.
  10. Web site: 2021-02-06. Aumentan los incidentes de salud mental en las instituciones juveniles del Departamento de Corrección. Increase of mental health incidents in the juvenile institutions of the department of corrections. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210206153947/https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/tribunales/notas/aumentan-los-incidentes-de-salud-mental-en-las-instituciones-juveniles-del-departamento-de-correccion/. 2021-02-06. 2021-06-08. El Nuevo Día. es.
  11. http://www.presupuesto.gobierno.pr/PresupuestosAnteriores/af2008_2009/Tomo_II/suppdocs/baselegal/137/137.pdf Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1993
  12. Web site: 2021-05-21. El Senado aprueba el nombramiento de Ana Escobar como secretaria de Corrección. The senate approves the nomination of Ana Escobar as secretary of corrections. 2021-06-08. El Nuevo Día. es.
  13. Web site: Appleton built it ... and they came. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. 27 July 2016.
  14. News: Puerto Rican Inmates To Be Transferred To Cushing Prison. 27 July 2016. Associated Press. 3 Jan 2012.
  15. News: Vicent. Samantha. Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing remains under lockdown after inmate brawl. 27 July 2016. Tulsa World. 12 June 2015.
  16. Web site: locations. Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 27 July 2016.
  17. "Perfil de la Población de Mujeres Confinadas Año 2015" (Archive). Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved on December 9, 2015.
  18. News: Coto. Danica. Puerto Ricans struggle over once-grisly Oso Blanco prison. 26 July 2016. Associated Press. Seattle Times. 17 May 2014.

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