I am a Chilean social worker who obtained his PhD in Social Work & Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2014. Much of my previous professional experience and scholarly research I have been devoted to work with one of the most disadvantaged, neglected and stigmatized populations, such us the incarcerated as well as individuals released from prison.

Incarcerated individuals and those released from prison are at disproportionately higher risk of experiencing violence –and even death—because of violent events. Besides, the fact that many of these individuals die after released show that the dynamics of violence from prison to the community are, indeed, very much connected. Throughout my career, I have had the chance to conduct representative, nationwide surveys of prison life (I designed and implemented the first-ever assessment of such kind in the country) as well as interviewing dozens of inmates, relatives and prison personnel, all of which have enhanced my understanding of the profound roots of crime and violence and social disadvantage. In other words, I have been able to generate empirical evidence on the various links between neighborhood disadvantage, crime, violence and prison life and the vicious, intertwined loops between them, particularly (yet not solely) in the Chilean context.

I am humbly proud to say that I have enhanced the knowledge base on prison life in Chile, contributing with empirical evidence series to prison reform efforts in the region. I have done so by incorporating both the perspective of inmates themselves (both men and women) and prison personnel, employing a combination of methodological approaches. Both sides tend to agree that prisons are the result of societal failures –at some point—and that even the best facilities may generate more harm than good to individuals, including a deterioration of mental health, increased violence, and recidivism.