70% of women in jail are there due to crimes involving drugs

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70% of women in jail are there due to crimes involving drugs

26 March 2014

The Inter-American Human Rights Commission is analyzing drug policies in the region on behalf of 16 human rights organizations, including two from Argentina: the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) and the civil association Intercambios.

The Herald talked to Luciana Pol, CELS coordinator of the area of Security Policies and Institutional Violence, who will be taking part in the hearing in Washington, D.C. “Getting involved in these topics is a great challenge for traditional human rights organizations,” Pol told the Herald.

Why did you request this hearing?

The situation regarding drug policies in the continent is quite complex. Some states have used militarization as one of the most common answers, which has increased violence, as Mexico and some countries in Central America have demonstrated. Prohibitionist policies — aimed at limiting traffic and consumption, also had adverse effects. For instance, the number of people who have been deprived of freedom has grown. A quarter of the total amount of inmates are imprisoned for crimes linked to drugs, which are often non-violent. A full 70 percent of women in jail are there due to drug crimes.

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