Back to the glossary Penitentiary

💡 unidad penitenciaria

Also known as: cárcel, unidad penal, establecimiento penitenciario, unidad carcelaria, penal, prisión, infierno

Establecimiento de detención administrado por el Estado donde se alojan personas en situación de cárcel cumpliendo una condena o medida cautelar.

A penitentiary unit is a facility under the authority of the penitentiary service where the State houses incarcerated people, either on a preventive basis — while judicial proceedings are underway — or as the result of a final sentence. In Argentina, each unit is identified by a number and a geographic location.

Beyond its custodial function, a penitentiary unit is also a space of everyday life: the people who live there work, study, maintain family ties, and develop collective projects. Recognizing that dimension is part of the framework through which the cooperative understands and names incarceration.

Examples / usage

personas privadas de libertad alojadas en la unidad penitenciaria 15 de Batán
Hitos de Liberté