Attorneys-General from various provinces and international experts toured the construction site of ‘El Infierno’ (The Hell), the new prison for high-profile criminal offenders that the Government of Santa Fe is building at Piñero Prison Unit No. 8.
The visit took place as part of the National and International Conference of Public Prosecutors, which is being held in Rosario. Attending were attorneys general from nine provinces, as well as Giovanni Tartaglia and Daniel Francisco, representatives of the United Nations (UN), who signed an agreement with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Also present were the province’s minister for Justice and Security, Pablo Cococcioni; the Secretary of the Infrastructure Implementation Unit, Diego Leone; and the Attorney General of the MPA, María Cecilia Vranicich, amongst other officials.
After seeing the progress of the project, the Attorney General of the City of Buenos Aires, Martín López Zavaleta, remarked that “we find it impressive; it is a colossal project. You can see a great deal of professionalism in the design and many innovative ideas incorporated into its construction. We are all pleasantly surprised by what we have seen.”
The official also highlighted the changes that have taken place in Rosario over recent years. “During the day, we discussed how the city’s situation has changed, how it has progressed and how it has managed to turn around situations that were previously very problematic. Everyday life is now completely different,” he said.
After seeing the progress of the project, the Attorney General of the City of Buenos Aires, Martín López Zavaleta, remarked that “we find it impressive; it is a colossal project. You can see a great deal of professionalism in the design and many innovative ideas incorporated into its construction. We are all pleasantly surprised by what we have seen.”
The official also highlighted the changes that have taken place in Rosario over recent years. “During the day, we discussed how the city’s situation has changed, how it has progressed and how it has managed to turn around situations that were previously very problematic. Everyday life is now completely different,” he said.
Coordinated efforts
In this regard, he considered that the measures adopted by the provincial Executive and the Public Prosecutor’s Office “have been effective” and emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts. “When public policies are developed in a coordinated manner across the different branches of government, the results are always positive,” he noted.
Regarding the workshops, López Zavaleta praised the exchange of experiences between the different jurisdictions. “These meetings are very enriching because they allow us to share working models, identify shortcomings and learn from the experiences of other provinces,” he said.
He also noted that the City of Buenos Aires is making progress in the construction of prison blocks and in the consolidation of its own prison service, established just over two months ago.
El Infierno will have the capacity to house 1,152 inmates, distributed across wings holding 48 detainees each. Its design was conceived to reinforce the isolation, security and control of inmates considered to be high-risk offenders.
“Unique in the country”
For his part, the Attorney General of Río Negro, Jorge Crespo, described the initiative as “an unimaginable achievement”. “I have visited other prisons, but none with the same standards as this one in terms of security, movement, operation and the nature of detention. It is unique in the country; I know of no other with these characteristics,” he stated.
Crespo maintained that Rosario needed a prison of this nature due to the unrest it had experienced in previous years. “Step by step, we are managing to bring the situation under control, thanks to the considerable efforts of all state bodies. We have learnt a great deal from the work carried out by the security forces to tackle a scourge that had plagued Rosario,” he said.
He also highlighted the reduction in criminal violence and the coordination between the Provincial Government and the Public Prosecution Service. “It is impressive how this situation has improved and how, day by day, the lives of the people of Rosario are getting better. Working together can yield results, and what is happening in Rosario is clear to see,” he concluded.
National and International Conferences
The National and International Conferences of Public Prosecutors’ Offices are organised by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Santa Fe, headed by Vranicich; the General Council of Attorneys General and Public Prosecutors of the Argentine Republic; and the Federal Council on Criminal Policy.
Over the course of the two-day event, there will be panel discussions on criminal organisations, drug-related crime and small-scale drug trafficking, criminal analysis, strategic criminal prosecution, gender-based violence, environmental litigation, criminal responsibility of juveniles and cybercrime.
The event also features presentations by experts from Italy, Chile and the United States, with the aim of exchanging experiences and strengthening the tools used to investigate and prosecute complex criminal offences.
