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March 24, 2020  |  By Marisol Marín In News

JJAI Expresses Concern for the Health Conditions and Capacity of Youth Detention Centers During the COVID-19 Outbreak

(ENG) CORONAVIRUS – Update JJAI -1
*Specific communication for Mexico was released and is available in Spanish, click here for more info. 

Juvenile Justice Advocates International’s (JJAI) vision is that children are only detained as a last resort and for the shortest period of time possible. JJAI works towards this by collaborating and providing technical assistance to youth justice operators to implement internationally recognized best practices. During the COVID 19 pandemic, JJAI would like to communicate the following concerns:

  1. The spread of COVID 19 inside of youth detention facilities.
  2. The continued respect for youth’s human rights.
  3. The risk to the mental health of detained youth.

Based on these concerns, JJAI asks youth justice systems and youth detention facilities to take the following actions:

  • Implement precautionary measures for prisons as recommended by the  World Health Organization:
  • Elaborate a plan to keep the general population, visitors and staff informed.
  • Raise awareness between visitors and staff about preventative measures.
  • Implement recommended preventative measures – have soap and disinfectant gel available in entrances, cells/dormitories, and administrative areas, physical distancing, and responses to suspected COVID-19 cases.
    • Increase the time of sports activities.
    • Increase time allotted in libraries and leisure areas for board games.
    • Increase time allotted for access to appropriate TV programs and movies.
    • Allow books in dormitories.
    • Allow notebooks, pens and/or pencils inside cells and other areas with supervision.
    • Allow board games inside cells and other areas with supervision.
  • Be diligent in detecting signs of depression and suicidal ideation.
  • Maintain weekly contact with families to keep them informed and to listen to their comments, doubts, and concerns.
  • Create a forum to communicate to the youth all preventative measures and all the changes in normal procedures in the detention center to keep them informed and listen to their comments, doubts, and concerns, always respecting their right to be heard. Make use of this space to explain to the youth what the current events are without unnecessarily alarming them, but to keep them fully aware of the situation.

Specific recommendations for Juvenile Courts, Prosecutors and Detention Administrators:

  • Suspend the implementation of custodial measures.
  • Provisional pretrial release for the following:
  • Youth with any medical conditions.
  • Pregnant youth.
  • Youth who have spent 3 months or longer in pretrial detention.
  • Youth charged with petty offenses, non-violent offenses or misdemeanors.
  • Switch to house arrest/confinement if the case allows it.
  • Provide post-trial conditional release to the following:
  • Youth with any medical conditions.
  • Pregnant Youth.
  • Youth with under partial-deprivation of liberty sentences – such as evening or weekend lock-up. 
  • Youth with under 6 months of the served time of their custodial sentence.
  • Postpone or modify sentences utilizing non-custodial precautionary measures.

We encourage all detention centers to reach out to us in case of requiring technical assistance to elaborate on these protocols of transparency. Likewise, we encourage all detention centers which collaborate directly with our staff to inform us of any material needs this time such as access to cell phones for family contact or board games and other recreational activities. Please contact us through: info@jjadvocates.org. You can also follow the most recent updates on our Twitter account: @jji_esp or Facebook account: facebook.com/jjimexico/ and facebook.com/juvenilejusticeadvocates/ 

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Webinar on COVID-19, Humanitaria Crisis for Youth in Detention in Latin America – Spanish only:

https://youtu.be/3MOSFq_hE1M

March 26th Webinar on COVID-19 and Challenges to the Juvenile Justice System in Mexico – Spanish only:

https://youtu.be/52zianCu_3A

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Guerrero

Los adolescentes en el sistema de justicia en Guerrero requieren de gran apoyo, servicios y protección del crimen organizado, por lo que nuestro trabajo se realiza bajo un nivel considerable de inseguridad pública. Somos la única A.C. trabajando para ayudar al gobierno para que los adolescentes tengan una verdadera segunda oportunidad.

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CDMX

Vista como líder nacional en las prácticas del sistema de justicia, la Ciudad de México tiene más adolescentes en detención que cualquier otra jurisdicción. Sin embargo, también ha desarrollado una unidad de seguimiento en libertad con numerosas alianzas con organizaciones. Nuestros proyectos fortalecerán esta área crítica.

JJI está trabajando en la Ciudad de México desde dos vertientes. En Alternativas a la Detención con un monitoreo que comenzó en 2019, pero por causas sanitarias y la pandemia por COVID, se retomó dos años después con un equipo de especialistas el cual ya está preparándose para continuar la actividad. En Movilizando voluntarios, se continúa con los esfuerzos para reunir a más adolescentes con sus familias, gracias al apoyo: “Reunificación familiar”. Así como también se han realizado entrega de enseres en los 6 centros.

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Durango

A pesar de tener un número menor de adolescentes en el sistema de justicia, Durango es una jurisdicción que busca la mejora continua. Durango es el primer estado donde tanto el poder judicial como el ejecutivo han firmado convenios de colaboración para la implementación de nuestros proyectos de Alternativas a la Detención.

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Chihuahua

Chihuahua es nuestro sitio piloto y un estado considerado líder en la reforma penal en México. Nuestros proyectos comenzaron en el 2016. Desde entonces, los tiempos en detención preventiva han disminuido, los adolescentes son supervisados con mayor eficiencia en sus comunidades y se ha mejorado la calidad de vida de aquellos adolescentes que siguen privados de su libertad.

En Chihuahua trabajamos con varios proyectos, como son el monitoreo que se trabaja en conjunto con la autoridad, y con los adolescentes y sus familias trabajamos en talleres, mesas de trabajo, eventos lúdicos, acompañamiento post penal, reubicaciones y traslados de familiares para audiencias y visitas, así como donaciones de enseres, ropa y material deportivo.

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Chiapas

Ante la apertura de los operadores del sistema de justicia para adolescentes del estado de Chiapas, a partir del mes de diciembre del año 2020 se tuvo acercamiento con los operadores que encabezan el Sistema de Justicia Penal para Adolescentes en el Estado de Chiapas, con el fin de coadyuvar en dicho sistema y en pro de todas las personas adolescentes Chiapanecos en conflicto con la ley. Tanto que el día 26 de abril del 2021, JJI realizó la presentación de proyectos ante los operadores del sistema penal para adolescentes en la Sala de Presidentes del Poder Judicial del Estado de Chiapas teniendo una respuesta de interés de los presentes.


En el tenor del desarrollo de la relación institucional JJI continuó aportando varias donaciones a los Centros de Internamiento Especializados para Adolescentes ubicados en los Municipios de Berriozábal ”Villa Crisol” y Mazatán “Zona Costa” del Estado de Chiapas, ha entregado Kit de enseres, insumos para la prevención del Virus SARS-CoV-2, canastas básicas conformados por alimentos y artículos de limpieza e higiene personal.

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Chihuahua

A national leader in criminal procedural reforms, our pilot project in Chihuahua started in 2016. Since that time the rates and duration of pretrial detention have declined, youth are being successfully supervised in their communities and new programs in the detention center have improved daily life for those children still deprived of liberty.

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Guerrero

Working under the shadow of significant public insecurity, the youth in Guerrero’s justice system are in dire need of support, services and protection from organized crime. We are one of the only nonprofits working to help the government and youth in detention get a second chance.

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CDMX

Looked to as the national leader in youth justice practices, Mexico City has more youth in detention than any other jurisdiction but has also developed a robust probation office and numerous alliances with nonprofits. Our projects will further fortify this critical work.

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Durango

Despite being a smaller jurisdiction, Durango is constantly looking to improve. Durango is the first state where both the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch have signed Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Alternatives to Detention initiatives.

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Chiapas

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