October 2025 Newsletter

Children at the Detention Center in Villalba are shaping their self-portraits as part of Reflections of Dignity

They reached a powerful milestone: The detention center reports that there have been zero behavioral incidents since the start of the workshops.

Through weekly art workshops, participants are mastering drawing techniques and creating self-portraits that express who they are and how they want to be seen.

Key achievements:

• The youth are learning color theory and practicing drawing techniques.
• Some have been selected to participate in community speaking competitions, where they will share the stage with students from public schools across the island.
• A partnership has been established with the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, to host the final art exhibition and provide the youth with a university experience.
• At the final exhibition, the young participants will receive a book from a formerly incarcerated author, who will share his story of academic achievement, showing them that there are pathways to new worlds and educational opportunities.

Accountability in Action

JJAI, with our local partner DNI Costa Rica, attended the General Prosecutor’s accountability session at the Supreme Court, where Juvenile Criminal Prosecutors reported on vulnerable youth populations.

Critical findings:

• Candidates for JJAI’s Mobilize & Empower project overwhelmingly come from extreme poverty, family violence, and educational exclusion.
• Only 7% of serious crimes have involved adolescents, a figure linked to the increasing recruitment of marginalized youth by organized crime.

Family Reunification Progress: Mobilize & Empower

From JJAI, through our project Mobilize & Empower, we are launching family reunification together with the Social Work Department of the Zurquí Juvenile Center. This will include:

• Transportation and meals will be provided to enable families living in extreme poverty to visit their incarcerated children.
• Support will be offered to 10 young incarcerated women, including 3 mothers, with assistance for family visits.
• Family workshops will be launched, focusing on intrafamily violence, parental responsibility, and gender.

JJAI Latin American Director, Sarahi García led strategic meetings advancing key initiatives:

Technical partnerships to pursue three projects:

• Detention Screening implementation with San Pedro Sula Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
• Community-based supervision model with Juvenile Courts.
• Family engagement strategy with the Office of Public Defense.

Visits to El Carmen Pedagogical Detention Center (CPI)