Restorative justice and family resilience of persons deprived of liberty in Mexico

Abstract

The failure of the Latin American correctional systems is due, in part, to the fact that social reintegration programs do not contemplate the resilient potential of the families of persons deprived of liberty, focusing exclusively on the individual. It is relevant to explore other strategies to improve the results of social reintegration. In Mexico’s specific scenario, that enables the reconstruction of a new life outside of prison for persons deprived of liberty and their families. This research’s objective was to prove that the elements of restorative justice are inherent in the family resilience of people deprived of liberty. For that, this study was based on the main theories of restorative justice and resilience, joining them through the secondary theories of support and social bond. The methodological nature of this research was qualitative, with an exploratory character, using the semi-structured interview with persons deprived of liberty in the now-closed Topo Chico Prevention and Social Reintegration Center, in the city of Monterrey as a data collection instrument.