BRIEFS. Employment

Businesses consider employing ex-offenders

The Ministro de Gobierno, Daniel Delgado Diamante, has proposed a series of financial incentives for businesses willing to participate in a "reinsertion" program for criminal offenders. The proposal was made to members of the Consejo Nacional de la Empresa Privada (CoNEP).

The proposal envisions a system of incentives in the form of bonuses and tax deductions for training and other programs for criminals who have completed their sentences.

Human resources, training materials, and workspace for the program, among other things, would have to be provided by the interested businesses, Delgado Diamante said. They would also have to recruit a certain percentage of the graduates of the program in order to receive the tax benefits.

Severo Sousa, president of CoNEP, described the proposal as "a good step" and explained that the organization will now assesses the terms for the eventual implementation of the program and formulate a counterproposal for the government.

He clarified that the text presented by Delgado Diamante, which is still a draft, is the result of a rapprochement between his organization and the Minsterio de Gobierno y Justicia, both of which have been seeking comprehensive solutions to the problem of crime in Panama.