The prison of A Lama celebrated the patron of Penitentiary Institutions with the presence of the subdelegate of the Government, Abel Losada, for the first time at the head of the act and a large representation of the representatives of the State, regional and local administration. Losada appreciated the dedication of the management team, headed by the director, Teresa Delgado, and the professionalism of the more than 500 officials.
The deputy delegate put this penitentiary center as an example “at the forefront of social reintegration policies” as evidenced by the continuous recognition of its pioneering programs for the reeducation of those who serve a custodial sentence. During his speech, he insisted that Spain is a country of reference in advanced penitentiary legislation and in adherence to all international treaties on human rights and custodial measures. “It is no coincidence that one of the first organic laws approved by the young Spanish democracy, in 1979, was the General Penitentiary Law, and it is very pertinent to remember here that 50 years later it presents very few “wrinkles” due to the passage of this time.”
He stressed that having magnificent penitentiary centers would serve little without magnificent professionals, “public servants”, and thus stressed that the 920 inmates of A Lama and the 90 people in the semi-freedom regime of the Social Insertion Center of Vigo “are in good hands”. It also had an express recognition for the five directors who have passed through A Lama since its premiere “27 years ago to solve the problem that arose after the closure of the old prisons of Pontevedra and Vigo”.
In the institutional act, the distinctions of Penitentiary Institutions (IIPP) were given to nine officials of the center and also to the entities and collaborators who on this occasion were the Spanish Mediation Association, the Barrié de la Maza Foundation, the captain of the Civil Guard, Ana Pérez, and the head of Equality of the Provincial Council of Ponteevdra, Lucía Muradas.
Teresa Delgado said that the day of the patron saint is a point and followed “so that we do not forget the importance of our work and the pride we must feel to go down that difficult and unfocused path”. He affirmed that prison treatment is the way to help the prison population to detect their social deficiencies and overcome them, achieving personal autonomy. He cited some programs that are developed at the Center, such as the Closed Regime Program, which was selected to star in one of the chapters of the documentaries carried out by the Ministry of the Interior to tell from within the work of the different units that guarantee the security and rights of citizens. In addition, he spoke about the pioneering role that the A Lama Center has had in the implementation of the program to prevent jihadist radicalization, the celebration of the first intercultural workshop, the implementation of the PIDECO program for inmates with economic crimes and the departure of the Nelson Mandela Public Center for Adult Education and Promotion, awarded by the Ministry of Education.
However, the director was particularly proud of the awards given to the staff of the Center and the collaborating institutions.