Overview
- Justice Minister Walter Martínez asked a congressional commission for legislative powers to dissolve INPE and create Sunir, which would also absorb the juvenile program Pronacej.
- Officials say Sunir would track offenders from adolescence to adulthood to reduce recidivism and centralize prison investment, including stalled construction projects.
- The national penitentiary workers’ union held an emergency meeting, announced protest actions, and warned of a possible indefinite strike unless job guarantees and a formal dialogue are secured.
- Union leaders voiced fears of mass layoffs, criticized political appointments in prison leadership, and cautioned against bringing in the Armed Forces or National Police to run facilities.
- Former INPE chiefs argued the plan is largely administrative, would not solve overcrowding or corruption, and warned that folding juvenile centers into the same structure would undermine distinct treatment needs.