El Salvador requested from EL PAcCTO, as agreed in the missions carried out in 2018-2019, technical assistance in prison career matters with a view to improving and strengthening the contents of initial and continuing training.

Last June, the first virtual working meeting was held, with the participation of experts from the National Prison Administration School of France (ENAP) and representatives of the General Directorate of Prison Centres (DGCP). The meeting analysed training priorities and a commitment was made to support the organisation of virtual courses to reinforce the continuous training of El Salvador prison staff in matters of effective management of the most dangerous inmates who belong to organised criminal groups in emergency and complex situations.

Technical meeting between Europe and Colombia

Additionally, and to follow up on the webinar carried out by EL PAcCTO, EurosociAL+ and Copolad II on Alternative measures to prison, the first virtual advisory preparatory activity was carried out between an expert from Italy and the Directorate of Criminal Policy and Prisons of Colombia, the Directorate of International Affairs and the focal point of EL PAcCTO in Colombia.

The director of Criminal and Prison Policy, Christian Leonardo Wolfhüggel, stated that improving the implementation of alternative measures is a priority and that, for this, it is necessary to address issues that have arisen in various activities developed by EL PAcCTO in the matter such as:

• Public Awareness, which exerts pressure against the implementation of alternative measures that affects the decisions of judges;
• The issue of ignorance and operation of alternative measures by the various actors in the criminal chain;
• The need to develop a normative diagnosis to identify the faults, the alternative measures that could be implemented to expand and strengthen the alternative system;

Based on the priorities expressed, the Italian expert Filippo Scapellato proposed, as a first activity, the carrying out of a normative diagnostic mission to highlight the strengths and weaknesses in this matter.

Once such diagnosis has been carried out, the proposal to present it within the framework of a webinar of alternative measures to prison will be put forward to the different actors of the criminal chain as a point of debate, which includes the contributions of all the actors and puts on the table the bases for better inter-institutional coordination.