Escojo la vida
Escojo la Vida seeks to contribute directly to the economic sustainability and resocialization of the population deprived of liberty (PPL) soon to be released from the COPED - Medellin High and Medium Security Prison and Penitentiary Complex PEDREGAL, CPMSBEL Medium Security Prison and Penitentiary of Bello and a group of post-penitentiary inmates residing in Medellin.
The program is focused on the development of knowledge, skills and techniques of graphic design and screen printing. In addition, as part of an integral process, the methodology seeks to strengthen curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, as well as the development of socioemotional skills that favor entrepreneurship and employability of participants, such as self-esteem, flexibility, problem solving and differences, teamwork and assertive communication.
By acquiring specific skills, the stress and anxiety they normally face at the end of their sentences is relieved, knowing the difficulty that inmates have in finding employment, since, in the case of Antioquia, the rate of conviction versus recidivism is 75.42% as of October 2021. This shows a demand for comprehensive care for both inmates and the post-sentenced population.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Law (2020) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC] (2013) point out that resocialization is not limited to serving the sentence or prison treatment. For this to be effective, it is necessary to have training and support programs within prisons that allow people to acquire specific skills that can be converted into employment or viable enterprises. In this way, they can effectively reintegrate into the social, family and community environment.
This is crucial for post-release prisoners to recover or obtain a job or a way to support themselves without resorting back to crime. For this reason, it is important to involve prisoners who express their interest in learning and working from prison, as well as those who are already out of prison and who wish to acquire other skills that will give them more opportunities to get a job or start a business.