Rights and labor conditions of the guard and custody personnel in a state penitentiary

Abstract

Penitentiary centers in Mexico face serious problems, including overcrowding, lack of resources, inadequate health conditions, violence and corruption, aspects that are exacerbated by the lack of professionalization and the deplorable working conditions faced by employees, which challenges the justice system and the rehabilitation of inmates. The materialization of rights, which includes labor rights, constitutes a fundamental principle that must be guaranteed in all areas, including in prison systems. However, when it is addressed in this context, the main focus is on inmates, leaving aside the workers, especially professional staff responsible for security inside these centers. This study is aimed at analyzing the rights and working conditions of guard and custody personnel working in a state penitentiary from a qualitative approach, under deductive and analytical methods, with a non-experimental, exploratory and descriptive design. For this, a census is carried out, using a validated and reliable instrument, as well as in-depth interviews, from the results of which it is identified that the observance of such rights is partial.