Proposals for alternatives to criminal prosecution and incarceration for drug-related offenses in Latin America

Latin America is immersed in a prison epidemic. The so-called “war on drugs” and harsher criminal penalties underlie the increase in the prison population. The number of women incarcerated in the region, for example, nearly doubled between 2006 and 2011, from 40,000 to 74,000, and drug crimes are the first or second most frequent reason for incarceration
of women.

One-size-fits-all” policies and severe sanctions have left the region’s countries in a prison crisis that threatens future generations. Instead of proposing a single model, therefore, multiple pathways should be explored.

This briefing focuses on the judicial and prison systems, seeking to offer a variety of experiences that demonstrate how various situations can be addressed: occasional and recreational use, dependent or problem use of substances, small-scale drug dealing by vulnerable members of the trafficking chain (dependent users who sell for survival), and differences among the different levels of leadership in dealing and international trafficking.

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