The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, dedicated today the celebration of the Day of Mercy in the Penitentiary Center of A Lama to all of the men and women who in their 25 years of experience contributed to that center being today a national reference in the design and application of the policies of reintegration and education. Pedro Blanco participated in the celebration of this festive day, presided over by the Secretary General of Penitentiary Institutions of the Ministry of the Interior, Ángel Luis Ortiz. Along with them, the mayor of the Lama, David Carrera, and the director of the center, Teresa Delgado, also attended, whom the delegate and the general secretary of Penitentiary Institutions personally congratulated after receiving the Silver Medal of Penitentiary Merit.
In his speech, Pedro Blanco praised the role of the Penitentiary Center of the Lama, which prioritizes “participation, activity and socialization” and in which there are many training and reintegration activities to facilitate the prisoner’s reintegration into life in freedom. In this sense, it called for greater social recognition of the public service provided by the people who work in them and the associations that cooperate in the different lines of action they develop.
For his part, the General Secretary of Penitentiary Institutions, Angel Luis Ortiz, highlighted the roots of the program of intervention in closed regime. A Lama will host training in this area next November for professionals from other penitentiaries. “Thank you to everyone, the interior officials and technicians who constitute a multidisciplinary team, for believing in equal opportunities for all people who serve prison sentences,” he said.
Recognitions
Today’s event served to recognize the work of officials and collaborators of the Penitentiary Center with different mentions. First, five commemorative plaques were given to the four directors and one director who guided the center since its birth. Six honorable mentions were also given to the staff who completed 25 years of active service and three more to the staff in recognition of specific services in the last year.
Finally, three medals were awarded by the Ministry of the Interior: the Bronze Medal for Prison Social Merit, to Beatriz Arjona, tutor of the UNED in the center; the Bronze Medal for Prison Merit to the official Ricardo Silva, and the Silver Medal for Prison Social Merit to Isaac de Vega, chaplain of the center.