Puerto Rico's prison reforms emphasize rehabilitation

For most of human history, prisons have been a place to punish — not rehabilitate — those who broke the law, and Puerto Rico was no exception. Gov. Ricardo Rossello changed that. In 2017, he tasked me with transforming Puerto Rico’s sprawling, bureaucratic Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and with it, our philosophy toward incarceration. This meant focusing as much on the dignity and rehabilitation of people in the prison system as we did on security.

While fundamental, security and public safety concerns do not negate our responsibility to offer inmates a meaningful, constructive life. This principle drives Puerto Rico’s approach to incarceration, and we are pleased to see it driving Congress’ as well. We support the FIRST STEP Act’s efforts to boost education and rehabilitation programming in federal prisons as a meaningful reform to our country’s prison system, and we urge congress to consider what Puerto Rico has already done as an example of what works.

Under Gov. Rossello’s leadership, we have implemented two reforms to help inmates prepare for release. The first promotes family integration while guaranteeing a safe and secure environment. For example, we now allow inmates to wear jeans and polo shirts during family visits so their children are not distressed by traditional uniforms. In order for prisoners to be recognized by security officials, the polo shirts are colored according to prisoners’ classification within the system. This means we can maintain security while also establishing a more casual environment that fosters family bonding. We have also created parks where prisoners can spend quality time with their children and relatives. Improving the quality of family visits promotes family integration and helps prepare inmates for the world outside bars.

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