MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay signs agreement to build prison for transgender people

The initiative seeks to achieve “zero overcrowding” in penitentiary institutions, Martinelli explained

The Uruguayan government of President Luis Lacalle Pou signed on Tuesday a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement for the construction of a new women's prison with accommodation for transgender inmates at a cost of US$46 million, it was announced in Montevideo.

The facility to be located opposite the current Punta de Rieles prison will have an initial capacity for 846 inmates, with the possibility of expanding to 1,015, explained Interior Minister Nicolás Martinelli. He also pointed out that the initiative seeks to achieve “zero overcrowding” in penitentiary institutions. With construction scheduled to begin in two weeks, the penitentiary is expected to be operational in the first half of 2026.

The new building will include facilities adapted to rehabilitation, such as a pre-release module, multi-sports areas, workshops, an infirmary and an orchard, as well as improvements to access control and administration. In addition, 6% of the center's population is expected to work in activities that will give them a new opportunity after their release. In Martinelli's opinion, the new prison building will be a paradigm shift in these centers. The new facility “will generate a safe and adequate environment for the rehabilitation of women deprived of their liberty,” the Uruguayan Presidency also highlighted on its web page.

The minister also took the opportunity to highlight the decrease in the homicide rate and the reduction of prison incidents in the country with the highest incarceration rate in South America: 408 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to World Prison Brief.

“If the trans person enters the system they have the right to decide whether they want to go to a men's or women's prison,” National Rehabilitation Institute (INR) Director Luis Mendoza said back in July when the new project was unveiled.