Reforming the Salvadoran Prison System, 1900-1944

Abstract

This article focuses on the Salvadoran penitentiary project during the first four decades of the twentieth century. It describes its creation and initial interests. A comparison is made of the conditions in penitentiaries and those in other prison establishments. In addition, the article spotlights the techniques used for reeducation of persons deprived of liberty in the penitentiaries. These include programs that provide work and economic remuneration for labor in manufacturing and distribution of production by inmates. Besides, was this system applied to the entire prison population? How did it evolve after a few decades? How did repressive crime fighting programs during the presidential term of General M. Hernandez Martinez affect the condition of prisons? This paper includes reflections on penitentiary facilities, their evolution, function, and the project for the rehabilitation of criminals.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/rpsp.v3i1.1335