Guatemala Hosts Second Regional Congress on Security, Intelligence, and Penitentiary Administration, co- hosted by ICPA

The event was organized by the Narcotics Affairs and Law Enforcement Section (INL) in Guatemala, the International Corrections and Prisons Association, Latin American Chapter (ICPA-LA), and the Government of Guatemala.

 

This meeting aimed to provide a space in which experts, professionals, and academics could share their knowledge and experiences, analyze cases, lessons learned, and practical, effective, and applicable perspectives, and present, consider, and discuss innovative strategies around the use of cutting-edge technologies, effective intelligence methods, and successful rehabilitation programs, enabling opportunities for exchange, collaboration, and joint work among security, intelligence, and prison administration agencies at the local, national, and international levels.

 

Representatives from public entities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, and Paraguay, as well as international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Latin American Chapter of the International Corrections and Prisons Association, and the offices of the Narcotics Affairs and Law Enforcement Section (INL) in the region, along with reintegration project leaders, researchers, analysts, and specialized journalists from Central America, Ecuador, the United States, and Venezuela, participated in the event. In total, twelve countries and around 300 people attended fifteen conferences over three days.

 

This Second Regional Congress on Security, Intelligence, and Penitentiary Administration was inaugurated by the President of ICPA-LA, Emiliano Blanco, the Ambassador of the United States, Tobin John Bradley, and the Minister of the Interior of Guatemala, Francisco Jiménez.

 

The First Regional Congress on Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Inmates took place between May 22 and 23, 2023, also in the city of Guatemala, and had representatives from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, Honduras, and Mexico, as well as speakers and panelists from these countries and from Argentina, Peru, and Guatemala.

 

We were aware of the importance of a more informed society, and that is why we decided to create these settings to share practical knowledge, overcome challenges, and learnings from different countries in the region.