ICPA in Latin America

By Fraser Bryans - July 19th, 2010

Three years ago, there was only an infrequent presence from Latin American delegates at ICPA Conferences. All that has now changed!

In a short time, the growth of ICPA in Latin America has been almost exponential. In Prague, we began operating translation of the various sessions into Spanish and the numbers of Latin Americans at the conference increased. Last year in Barbados not only was there Spanish translation at the main conference but also, prior to the conference.

We organised a first Latin American Regional Conference which focused on issues specific to the region. In Barbados, it was agreed to form a specific Latin American Chapter of ICPA, to elect officials, and to set in train a programme of work.

Last month in Buenos Aires, sponsored by the Argentine National Federal Prison Service, a second Regional Conference took place. The meeting, which focused on four main issues of interest (violence, young adults, females, and Human Rights Training), was attended by some 130 delegates from Latin America and beyond.

We are currently in the process of translating the presentations and will soon be available in both English and Spanish on the ICPA website. A selection of images from the ICPA 2nd Latin American Regional Seminar can be viewed by clicking here.

Finally our thanks to our Argentine hosts and in particular Alejandro Marambio Avaria, Head of the Argentine Service, Julio Cepeda and Emiliano Blanco for all their work.

Ed Wozniak




Comment on this story