Briefing Paper: Justice Is Setting Them Free

In the case of Argentina, the participation of the head of the gender unit of the Procuración Penitenciaria de la Nación (PPN), which functions as an ombudsman for the country’s prisons, led to the creation of a specific program on drug policy and gender within the institution. [...] Following the presentation by the CIM president during the CICAD session in November 2012, the CIM and CICAD organized a side event on women, drug policy and incarceration at the 43rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly in Antigua, Guatemala in June 2013, the theme of which was, “For a Comprehensive Policy Against the World Drug Problem in the Americas.” The O. [...] From the Regional to the Global: Putting the Issue on the UN’s Political Agenda The work done by the working group in the OAS fed directly into the initiatives in the UN, where our advocacy has been instrumental in placing gender issues on its political agenda. [...] According to Gabriela Olivera, who led the JND’s gender unit at the time and is a member of the working group, “The impact of the Guide in Uruguay was profound! It’s amazing how the number of women incarcerated for drugs decreased, and the main cause was the implementation and adaptation of the Guide.”4 2 Statistics provided by the Observatorio Uruguayo de Drogas show a steady decline in the numbe. [...] Additionally, the process lacked transparency mechanisms and a means of involving the judicial system.5 2 The law has other gaps, such as not establishing a deadline to report the denial of amnesty to the petitioner, nor for tracking the progress of requests.53 Furthermore, in the application of the law so far, the assessment of the applicant’s situation of vulnerability is based on prejudices or.