What is Decriminalization

The generalized use of imprisonment to meet the need for security witnessed by the high rates of incarceration in countries such as the United States makes it necessary to question sentences, seeking to shape them so that they actually pursue the purposes indicated by international resources. In harmony with the model proposed by international resources for which detention can actually constitute a period capable of facilitating re-entry into society, in the chapter, some local experiences regarding the treatment of prisoners will be discussed. The reduction of recourse to the precautionary measure of deprivation of liberty is a good practice to limit the detained population. As for the methods of treatment within the prison walls, a penitentiary model based on the empowerment of the prisoner and on the recovery of his or her social, family, and work dimensions seems the only way to legitimize the deprivation of freedom beyond a logic of mere suppression.