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|  Published Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Prisoners deliver handmade masks
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
About 800 prisoners and 30 police officers have received the hand-made masks produced by other prisoners from the Semi-Institutional Care Center jail in Limón Province, announced the Ministry of Justice.
According to the ministry, the first delivery of masks has already been made to 300 prisoners who are in a module under preventive isolation. It is expected within the next few days a total of 10,000 masks will be delivered.
In addition, another group of prisoners from the Jorge Arturo Montero prison, known as La Reforma Jail in Alajuela Province, have started with the production of 700 more masks, to deliver to the jail officers.
Prisoners in both jails are manufacturing more than 14,000 reusable face masks, which follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, and are to be worn by employees.
The production of face masks in prisons are part of the emergency sanitary measures in place to combat covid-19.
The delivery of the masks to the prisoners is organized by the health department of each jail, after educating the prisoners of recommendations on the proper use, said the ministry.
"We have taken advantage of the human talent and sewing skills that prisoners have to promote the project to manufacture face masks to supply the jail and to use it during disciplinary care, in the educational area, judicial practices and also complying with social distancing and coexistence social bubbles by areas,” said Giovanna Cleland, director of the Limón prison.
According to the ministry, each prisoner will have three reusable face masks.
For their work, prisoners receive a cash incentive that helps them financially help their families.
According to the ministry, the Vilma Curling women's prison will also begin manufacturing face masks.
In May, 20 women jailed at the women's prison were producing gowns for Social Security health workers.
According to the ministry, the construction and equipment of the workshop, the construction of a computer lab, plus the training of women cost $880,777 from the ministry budget.
Social Security provided the fabrics and the National Learning Institute donated sewing machines for the women in the factory to make hospital workers' clothes.
"The guidance department of the jail carried out the selection process for women to have the right staff for this job," the ministry said.
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