Decent Work to Restore the Dignity of Inmates in a Social Rehabilitation Center in Southeastern Mexico from the Perspective of Social and Solidarity Economy

Abstract

Social reintegration programs in penitentiary centers are based on five pillars: education, health, work, training, and sports. However, their institutional implementation is limited, and formal activities are scarce. Artisanal work, a common but individual activity, faces challenges from obtaining supplies to commercialization. Based on this, the research aimed to implement a program in social and solidarity economy developed by inmates of a penitentiary center in southeastern Mexico, promoting dignified and collaborative work. Grounded in Sen's Human Development model, Frankl's Humanistic Psychology, and Max-Neef's Social and Solidarity Economy, a qualitative action research design was used. The results demonstrated that cooperativism fosters new forms of coexistence and dignity within penitentiary systems by addressing vulnerability, social marginalization, maladjustment, and social disruption, while promoting economic profitability and social welfare as key tools to reduce exclusion and build a society where each individual is the protagonist of their own development. It was concluded that the social and solidarity approach provides fairer compensation for work and incorporates ethical values, contributing to true reintegration and the restoration of the social fabric.