Chiapas Inmates to Pursue Bachelor's Degrees Through Distance Learning

Individuals incarcerated in Chiapas's state prisons will now have the opportunity to earn bachelor's degrees through a new distance learning program. This initiative stems from an academic collaboration between the Autonomous University of Chiapas (Unach) and the Secretariat of Citizen Security.

The agreement allows Unach to offer three degree programs remotely: Human Rights, Management of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, and Information and Communication Technologies Applied to Education. These programs will be accessible to inmates serving sentences or awaiting trial in state correctional facilities, specifically centers 8 and 14 in Villaflores and Cintalapa de Figueroa, respectively. The program also extends to the Villa Crisol specialized center for adolescents in Berriozábal.

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Unach can play a very important role.

Oswaldo Chacón Rojas, the rector of Unach, highlighted that public security efforts in Chiapas extend beyond punitive measures to encompass comprehensive prevention and social reintegration. He emphasized Unach's potential role in this process. The educational units will follow the university's standard academic calendar.

Oscar Alberto Aparicio Avendaño, the Secretary of Citizen Security, underscored the importance of education within the penitentiary system for successful social reintegration. He praised the rector's commitment to developing distance education models for the incarcerated population, viewing it as a chance to transform lives and offer a second opportunity for inmates to pursue personal and family projects.

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Education in the penitentiary system is a fundamental tool in the search for successful social reintegration processes and an opportunity to transform the individual and family life of inmates.