大象传媒

One man bakes bread while a couple of others prepare pizzas for lunch. Nearby, a large farm buzzes with activity as many men cultivate leafy greens while others tend to chickens. Adjacent to the kitchen lies a soccer field, surrounded by lush plants and a pond teeming with fish.

Just meters away stands a library where several men either watch an educational program on television or immerse themselves in books. In a nearby carpentry workshop, three men work on furniture and model ships, while another room serves as a textile workshop. 

These diverse activities are part of Libert茅, a cooperative association operating within Unit Number 15 of the maximum security complex of Bat谩n, located in Mar del Plata, Argentina. This penitentiary facility houses approximately 1,600 inmates. But many individuals here, deprived of their liberty, have found a way to reclaim some for themselves.聽

At first glance, the entrance to Libert茅 may appear to be just another barred gate within the prison. Yet on the other side of this barrier, things feel distinctly different.

鈥淲hen we cross that gate, we forget we are in a prison. We feel free,鈥� says Ariel, who works in the textile workshop. (Incarcerated individuals are being identified by their first names only, for legal reasons.)聽

This sentiment is common among the 80-some men who make up Libert茅 today. They don鈥檛 define themselves as prisoners. Instead, through work, education, sports, and cultural activities, they are people preparing to integrate into society.

鈥淚f the punitive model of punishment worked, it might be worth pursuing,鈥� says Xavier Aguirreal, who founded Libert茅. 鈥淏ut what truly works is restorative justice.鈥� 

A Different Kind of Opportunity

鈥淚n prison, you either become dependent or beg,鈥� says Aguirreal, 55, who is known to everyone as Pampa. 鈥淵ou come in with a couple of pairs of shoes and a shirt, but when those wear out, you cannot obtain new ones unless a family member or an NGO provides them. I didn鈥檛 want that for myself,鈥� he recalls. So in 2014, two years after arriving at Bat谩n, he asked permission from the Penitentiary Service to launch an entrepreneurial initiative. 

The head of the Work Department told Pampa that he needed at least two people to start, so he and his cellmate made a proposal to bring in materials and produce something that they could then sell outside the prison. 鈥淲e started manufacturing wall clocks,鈥� Pampa says.

According to official statistics, last year less than half of people incarcerated in Argentina聽were involved in an educational program. Only a third had paid work in prison.聽

But, says Diana M谩rquez, a lawyer and the coordinator of V铆ctimas por la Paz, 鈥淢ost prisoners want to leave their cells and desire to work or study.  The problem is that in prison there are very few educational options available鈥攎ostly just elementary school鈥攁nd nearly no job opportunities, many of which are undignified.鈥� 

The V铆ctimas por la Paz association was created by people who were affected by crimes and now works to promote restorative justice. This organization has supported Libert茅 since 2017, thanks to Judge Mario Juliano, who believed that model was the best route to restoration. 

Libert茅 operates on a self-management model, where each participant is responsible for doing their own work to earn their own money. 鈥淭his fosters autonomy and self-esteem, essential values for successful integration into society,鈥� Pampa explains. 

Libert茅 has launched various work projects, including leatherwork, carpentry, blacksmithing, radio programming, baking, beekeeping, and organic gardening workshops. There is even a small grocery store where incarcerated people can purchase their food and a restaurant named Punto de Paz. The meals prepared in Libert茅鈥檚 kitchen have received official permission from the Buenos Aires government to be sold in supermarkets outside the prison.聽

In addition to these ventures, Libert茅 has developed educational, cultural, and sports programs鈥攕uch as soccer and karate鈥攖o support personal growth and promote teamwork. 

鈥淟ibert茅 offers something broader than just a single workshop or course. That鈥檚 its richness: Our lives consist of various interests and needs. Everyone has different preferences, and when I enter Libert茅, it feels like a small neighborhood with diverse activities,鈥� M谩rquez says.

An Effective Model for Change

鈥淚f you deprive someone of their rights for decades, what do you think they learn?鈥� Pampa asks. 鈥淭hat human rights don鈥檛 exist.鈥�

There are no official statistics regarding recidivism in Argentina. However, the Latin American Center for Studies on Insecurity and Violence at the Tres de Febrero National University estimates that seven out of 10 individuals who regain their freedom commit a crime within the first year after leaving prison.

鈥淧rison should not be a place of punishment but of restoration. When we leave, we should be seen as people like anyone else鈥攏ot as those deprived of their rights.鈥�

Over the past 10 years, more than 1,000 people incarcerated at Bat谩n have participated in Libert茅. Of those,聽104 have been released鈥攏one of whom have reoffended.

Moreover, Libert茅鈥檚 vision of self-restoration involves recognizing mistakes and addressing the harm caused by those actions. This is why they created the Victim Support Fund: They donate part of their grocery earnings to organizations that assist victims of crimes.聽

Outside, we didn鈥檛 learn to love or respect one another or how to share. Here in Libert茅, we鈥檝e come to understand that dialogue through love is essential.鈥�

鈥擟补谤濒颈迟辞蝉

鈥淟ibert茅 has changed my life,鈥� says Omar during a break in his carpentry work. While at Bat谩n, he got married in a ceremony at Punto de Paz. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned to value things I previously overlooked,鈥� he says. 鈥淎ll of this will help me in the outside world.鈥�

鈥淗ere, I can do things like I would outside; I don鈥檛 feel like a prisoner,鈥� says Roberto, the current coordinator of Libert茅. Before arriving at Bat谩n four years ago, he worked as a cook and played soccer for a club. Now, he cooks in Libert茅鈥檚 kitchen and coordinates a soccer team. He has learned new recipes and how to manage with limited kitchen utensils. 鈥淎ll of this will help me in the future; otherwise, it would just be wasted time in jail.鈥�

More than that, Roberto says he has experienced personal growth that is not always available in the environments in which people grow up. 鈥淟ibert茅 gives us the chance to depend on ourselves and appreciate every little thing. Outside, I used to be more selfish; here, I鈥檝e learned about solidarity,鈥� he says.

Carlitos shares a similar sentiment. He coordinates the library, which houses more than 5,000 books and offers opportunities for discussions and screenings of educational films. 鈥淥utside, we didn鈥檛 learn to love or respect one another or how to share. Here in Libert茅, we鈥檝e come to understand that dialogue through love is essential.鈥�

Punishment vs. Restorative Justice

Marcelo spent the day selling religious ornaments in Mar del Plata. After work, he visits the homeless to distribute food with a Christian group. After that, he鈥檒l travel to La Plata to visit his mother.

His life was very different two years ago when he was still at Bat谩n. He arrived with mental health issues that led him to contemplate suicide. For a time, he felt guilty and worthless.

One day, Pampa invited Marcelo to lunch with other Libert茅 members and brought him a plate of burgers with French fries. 鈥淚 started to cry. I couldn鈥檛 remember the last time I had eaten something like that,鈥� Marcelo recalls. 鈥淚 felt I was regaining my dignity.鈥�

Without joy, how can you move forward and experience change?鈥�

鈥拟颈肠丑补别濒

An engineer and teacher, Marcelo was drawn to Libert茅 by its library. He soon began participating in various cooperative activities, including restoring an old laundry facility into the current Libert茅 space. Eventually he became the cooperative鈥檚 treasurer, managing the accounts for Libert茅鈥檚 grocery store. This role gave him a sense of worth.

鈥淲hen my daughter and son visited me, they didn鈥檛 have to bring food for us to share. I could offer them a cake made by one of Libert茅鈥檚 bakers or invite them to drink mate with my own yerba,鈥� Marcelo says, referring to the traditional infused beverage that holds great cultural significance in Argentina. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what would have become of me if I had spent all my time in the pavilion.鈥�

That sentiment is shared. 鈥淧rison reinforces resentment and hatred, but Libert茅 fosters courage and helps us overcome those feelings,鈥� explains Michael, a member of Libert茅 who runs the radio program. 鈥淚n Libert茅, you stop viewing prisoners as mere characters from movies; instead, you see them as individuals with new possibilities who can even find joy within prison walls. Because without joy, how can you move forward and experience change?鈥�

Broader Cultural Change

Libert茅鈥檚 innovative approach encourages a fundamental shift in how society at large perceives incarceration. To promote this model, Libert茅 launched a diploma program three years ago in collaboration with the Mar del Plata National University that focuses on restorative justice, social integration, and peaceful coexistence within prison contexts. The program is open to anyone who is directly or indirectly linked to the prison environment鈥攆rom detainees to prison officers, as well as students and professionals in law, social work, and psychology. 

The program is conducted online using platforms like Zoom and a virtual campus, along with YouTube. Since the pandemic, people incarcerated in Buenos Aires Province have been allowed to use cell phones, which has also facilitated the program鈥檚 operation. The curriculum combines theory classes with practical workshops and activities, equipping participants with tools to understand and transform the penal system while promoting a vision of justice rooted in care, dignity, and reconciliation.

The program was initially designed for 100 students but has attracted more than 8,000 participants. 鈥淧reliminary data indicate changes in perceptions among those who held prejudices and stigmas. They have broadened their horizons by understanding the realities of prisoners and now see solutions as a collective effort,鈥� stated Claudia Perlo from the Rosario Institute for Research in Educational Sciences in . She highlights Libert茅 as a model for policymakers regarding prison reform. And Libert茅 continues to innovate, now developing a Popular University based on a German model. 

M谩rquez attests to the impact of these programs: 鈥淟ibert茅 has made me feel free too. It helps me shed my prejudices. When I come here, I see people鈥攏ot prisoners or inmates.鈥�

Ongoing Challenges

Despite ongoing legal blocks and bureaucratic hurdles thrown at them by the Penitentiary Service, Libert茅 persists. The group achieved legal status as a cooperative in 2021. 鈥淓very single piece of paperwork is difficult. For example, to create a bank account, a bank manager had to visit the prison, which took considerable time and goodwill,鈥� Pampa explains. But the hard work is paying off.

鈥淚n 2021, the head of the Penitentiary Service told me he had received many calls from various places interested in replicating our self-managed model,鈥� Pampa recalls. Prisons in Neuqu茅n in southern Argentina and Rosario and Victoria in the north have expressed interest in Libert茅鈥檚 work. Last year, Libert茅 began expanding its efforts into a prison in Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego鈥攖he southernmost province in the country.

鈥淲e are convinced that ours is not the only model or even the best one. But it鈥檚 working, and we want to share it,鈥� Pampa says. 鈥淚f we do that, human rights and dignity will emerge.鈥�