BRIEFS. public safety

New juvenile detention center in the works

david mesa/la prensa

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A new detention center for minors convicted of serious crimes is planned for the district of Panama, reported Melva Ramírez Díaz, director of the juvenile prison population at the Interdisciplinary Institute.

Construction of the new facility is expected to begin next year, following the approval of building plans.

The new center will be financed through funds allocated to the the government’s Integral Security program and the Inter-American Development Bank, and will have capacity of 200 inmates as well as a rehabilitation center complete with a school and vocational workshops.

Currently, the only existing center of its kind is the Centro de Cumplimiento in Tocumen, which is home to 105 adolescents convicted of murder, rape, drug trafficking or robbery.