Quintana Roo Aims for First International Prison Certification in Cozumel

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The Quintana Roo Public Security Department announced it is intensifying efforts to strengthen prison infrastructure and align internal procedures to improve the quality of the state’s penitentiary system, professionalize its management, and ensure dignified conditions for both inmates and operational staff.

This initiative will also enable prisons to seek certification, with department head Julio César Gómez Torres confirming that the process has begun for the Cozumel Social Reintegration Center to become the first prison in the state to obtain international certification from the American Correctional Association. If achieved, Gómez Torres said it would be a historic milestone, as no prison in Quintana Roo has ever received this accreditation.

“We aim to continue advancing the strategy to transform the penitentiary system,” Gómez Torres stated. “Since the start of this administration, we have implemented a process to renew the entire system and its social reintegration programs. The goal is to meet the criteria set by the American Correctional Association to aspire to certification. We are already taking actions at the Cozumel prison to progress and achieve this accreditation, which would be historic because no prison in the state has ever been certified by this association.”

The accreditation, valid for three years, endorses international standards in security, internal order, health, respect for human rights, administration, and social reintegration programs. It also includes technical audits, protocol evaluations, infrastructure reviews, and ongoing training for prison personnel, which must be maintained throughout its validity period.

Gómez Torres noted that strategic adjustments have already been made in prison management with the rotation of directors, part of an internal strategy to place profiles with experience in institutional transformation processes, particularly in Cozumel, where efforts are concentrated to achieve this accreditation.

“One of the challenges we face is strengthening the penitentiary structure,” he explained. “That’s why we aim to start with Cozumel. There is strong inter-secretarial work on social reintegration bringing programs into the centers that complement the department’s efforts. Additionally, we have rotated directors to continue advancing the transformation of the penitentiary system.”

The American Correctional Association is considered the oldest and largest organization in this sector, working to ensure inmates live in dignified conditions.