APAC: FOUNDATIONS AND PRACTICES OF PRISON HUMANIZATION

Abstract

This article examines the theoretical foundations and institutional practices of the Association for the Protection and Assistance of Convicts (APAC) methodology as a model of prison humanization, based on a systematic bibliographic review. The study analyzes APAC as an alternative to the conventional prison system, emphasizing the centrality of human dignity, offender co-responsibility, and community participation in criminal execution. Methodologically, the research articulates specialized literature, institutional documents, and academic studies, drawing on critical criminology, the legal framework of fundamental rights, and cultural-historical theory of human development. The findings indicate that the APAC methodology reorganizes prison daily life on less violent and more participatory bases and is associated, in the literature, with lower criminal recidivism rates, while also acknowledging its structural limitations and challenges. The article concludes that APAC represents a relevant experience for contemporary debates on penal execution and human rights when analyzed critically and contextually.