2024-07-30 00:47:25
Jennifer Andrea Zabala Henao became the first woman to benefit from restorative justice with a gender focus in Colombia, under the Public Utility Law.
This legislation allows sentences to be served through activities with a social impact rather than through deprivation of liberty.
Zabala Henao’s sentence for violence against a public servant was extinguished after serving his sentence through community service, as required by Law 2292 of 2023. According to the Ministry of Defense and Law, the The judge of the execution of sentences decided to apply this law, allowing Zabala Henao to avoid prison and serve his sentence through community service.
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Jennifer Andrea Zabala Henao provided services through the NGO Confraternidad Carcelaria de Colombia, an organization that works with people deprived of liberty and their families from a restorative justice perspective. Specifically, Zabala Henao supported a shelter for senior citizens and homeless people in Armenia, Quindío.
The Vice Minister of Criminal Policy and Restorative Justice, Camilo Umaña Hernández, reported that in the ten months since the implementation of the Public Utility Law, 59 women have replaced their imprisonment with social services. “Jennifer Andrea is the first woman to serve her sentence with public utility services. For all these reasons, we believe that resocialization is the way forward,” said Umaña Hernández.
Jennifer Andrea Zabala Henao expressed her gratitude for this opportunity: “I think we all make mistakes and we need a second chance. You can’t judge anyone without knowing their needs. It was very different from being in prison because, in my case, I was able to be with my family and help them.”.
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