The LA/EU Bi-regional Penitentiary Academies Network has met in plenary session.  Everything has taken place within the platform that EL PAcCTO has made available to the penitentiary academies of Latin America and Europe. This platform allows resources, documentation, questions and good practices to be shared along with requests for technical advice on topics of specific interest to member countries.

The monthly meeting, one of the most fruitful activities in the context of the RAP platform, represents a space for direct, participatory and dynamic exchange.

At this last meeting, Mexico, through the head of the Internal Control Body with the High School Students College in the State of Veracruz (COBAEV), Martín de Jesús Sánchez Rodríguez, gave a presentation on the National Penitentiary Administration Academy. In particular, he discussed its mission, its organisational structure, capacities and, lastly, its curriculum.

Mexico’s contribution has been highly appreciated by the other participants and has promoted various debates and interventions. For example, one element that attracted a lot of attention was the percentage of aspiring civil servants, with a ratio of 56% women and 44% men.

Finally, the topics considered to be a priority and to which special attention will be paid during the current month were discussed, in particular:

• the macro theme of prison security focused on the tools used to prevent escapes and other crimes
• dynamic security
• prison intelligence and differentiated circuits