Presentation of advances for the identification of institutional capacities in the generation of statistics of penitentiary systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

On June 6 and in the framework of the ECLAC Statistical Conference of the Americas, representatives of the National Statistical Offices (ONE’s) of Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, who together with the Dominican Republic formed the Working Group (WG) on Institutional Capacities to Generate Statistics on Penitentiary Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The purpose of this meeting was to share and review the progress made in the activities of this Working Group.

Salomé Flores of the UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence in Statistical Information on Government, Crime, Victimization and Justice and Óscar Jaimes of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) jointly recapped the work done to date, particularly the review of criminal justice models in the region, statistical regulatory frameworks, regional and international best practices, as well as the instrument for the collection of information to identify institutional capacities in this matter.

Additionally, Salomé Flores shared with the Working Group the activities agenda to continue towards the identification of institutional capacities in the generation of statistics on prison systems in Latin America and the Caribbean and how the available data allow for monitoring the Tokyo Rules, the Bangkok Rules and the Mandela Rules.