Bukele's bold move: Drug burnings and zero leisure for inmates

South America is well-known for its drug connections, with substances being smuggled to other continents. Authorities in countries where drug cartels operate are doing their utmost to halt dangerous mobsters and stop the cocaine trade, predominantly produced in South America. However, smugglers are constantly devising new methods of transporting drugs, thus complicating the justice system's efforts.

Nayib Bukele assumed power in El Salvador in 2019. Since then, the president has been actively fighting crime. His "Zero Leisure" project mandates that prisoners must work to support themselves, such as growing crops, raising animals, or working in bakeries. According to the president, such activities save the state budget by reducing the costs of prisoner upkeep. Furthermore, it rehabilitates the inmates and equips them with skills that can assist them in securing employment after their release.

The Director of El Salvador's Penitentiary Centres, Osiris Luna Meza, explained in an interview with "Valuetainment": - This is a transformation of the penitentiary system by President Nayib Bukele's government, where those willing to change their lives learn various skills while serving their sentences.

Thanks to savings from not having to fund food, prison directors can finance a range of courses and training to prepare inmates for work upon release. These include workshops on screen printing, printing, hammock production, and other handicrafts.

The "Zero Leisure" programme also aims to make prisoners give back to society for the harm they have caused. In 2021 alone, inmates in El Salvador renovated 96 schools, 84 police stations, and 162 healthcare facilities.

The efforts of President Bukele are yielding results. Since he took office in July 2019, the number of homicides has dropped from 2,398 in 2019 to just 154 in 2023.

Source: "Valuetainment"