Social reintegration with an intersectional approach: analysis of the PACIA program in Mexico City from a critical perspective of juvenile prison administration

Abstract

This article analyzes the social reintegration program for adolescents in conflict with the law in Mexico City (PACIA) from an intersectional approach that combines critical sociological and criminological perspectives. The research demonstrates how the homogeneous design of the program, by ignoring the intersections of gender, disability, ethnicity, and sexual diversity, infringes on fundamental human rights. Through semi-structured interviews with technical-operational staff and document analysis, key structural omissions were identified: only 2% of the workshops address the needs of the LGBTQ+ population, no center has protocols for psychosocial disabilities (which affect 18% of inmates), and 92% of the staff use androcentric language that marginalizes women and nonbinary individuals.
The study, supported by critical criminology theories and Crenshaw’s intersectional framework, reveals how the current implementation of PACIA reproduces positivist and adult-centric paradigms, evidenced by deficiencies in language, institutional evaluation, and staff training. As an alternative, a model based on three transformative pillars is proposed: mandatory intersectional diagnostics, differentiated programs according to vulnerability profiles, and continuous training in human rights. This proposal aims to redirect juvenile penitentiary policies towards an inclusive approach that effectively guarantees the right to social reintegration, aligned with international restorative justice standards. In this context, the research question guiding this article is: how can the intersectional approach contribute to the effective inclusion of diversities in the PACIA social reintegration program in Mexico City?