After visiting Liberté during a special gathering of judges held on July 9th, we had the opportunity to speak with judge Roberto Conti, of the Lomas de Zamora court, Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal N°7.
Recognition of Liberté
On the occasion, he spoke about the progress of our cooperative.
I have known Liberté for a long time and was able to see its beginnings and the way it has grown — seeing everything that has been done and what is still being done, he said first, continuing: the store is impressive, and the whole cooperative, one hundred percent self-managed, not depending on anyone — that is very important.
Importance of the Self-Managed Model
It needs to be replicated. I was asking many questions in order to propose this model at another facility. I consulted with penitentiary staff to understand how it actually works in practice and to hear not only your commitment, but also how the service functions in the wards — to understand what benefit the store brings, so that families don't have to go through everything they normally go through, avoiding the issue of searches and delays with visits coming in. I think it is very important and necessary.
Proposal for Public Policy
I believe this should be state policy above all — a public policy to start replicating this across all prison facilities, or at least begin with one per complex, so that all the positive results visible here can be measured. You can tell this doesn't feel like a prison.
Impact on the Penitentiary Community
At times you feel like you're not in what a penal institution usually is — that place that always brings darkness, the same hell as you all call it — and it's as if everything here brings a little more light to that darkness. Everything one knows about what it means to live in a context of confinement: this brings a cloak of clarity and calm, and not only that — it begins to bring peace and dignity to people, through the commitment of their word and their work.
Transformation and Commitment
You were telling us that many of the people here had never worked before, and suddenly they find themselves working — here, in administration, in the complaints area, in purchasing — beginning to believe that change is possible and betting on it. May that belief spread throughout the entire prison environment, so that commitment is felt more strongly — by the people serving sentences, by society, and by the system itself.
Source: Prensa Liberté
