Why does the Prison Humanization Law cause so much disgust in some political sectors?

2023-05-17 01:39:02

The debate for the approval of the Bill for the Humanization of the Penitentiary System in Colombia will begin this Wednesday, May 17, in the First Committee of the Senate. The purpose of the proposal is to seek the resocialization of the prisoners and their possible release, as well as to reduce the high rates of overcrowding in the Temporary Detention Centers and prisons in the country.

Although the news has not been well received and has rather been criticized by some political sectors of the country and experts in citizen security, councilors such as Óscar Ramírez Vahos of the Centro Democrático party in Bogotá, have issued an “alert call” before the possible consequences that the approval of said initiative could bring about.

According to figures provided by the District Security Secretary, revealed by Councilor Ramírez, only in the country’s capital, 6,342 prisoners could be released in Bogotá, where more than 4,000 of them are serving sentences for the crime of theft.

For Ramírez, if the proposal were to materialize, the security situation in the country would worsen and Colombians would be “at the mercy of thieves, jíbaros, gang members and other criminals.”

“Last year, in the city of Bogotá, around 65,000 cell phones were stolen, a figure that responds to the reported cases. And the ones we don’t know? Undoubtedly, this figure will increase in the scenario of having 4,000 accused of theft circulating in the streets, which is also a clear message to those who commit crimes today, who know that their crimes will not go to jail,” Ramírez said in an interview for Semana .

Likewise, councilman Ramírez Vahos said that he will be one of those who strongly opposes this bill, since he believes that it will worsen the tranquility and security of the country.

Among the objectives of the project is that people who are “Sentenced up to 12 years in prison will now have house arrest. Today, this benefit applies to sentences of up to 8 years.” added the lobbyist for the Democratic Center.

Finally, the politician explained that among the 30 crimes contemplated within the articles, the benefits on five of them are the most worrying.

“Qualified theft with 3,944 possible criminals released; traffic; manufacture or possession of drugs with 1,998 possible criminals released; violence against public servants by reason of functions, and reception, that is, the acquisition, possession, commercialization of movable or immovable property of illegal origin ”, he concluded.