Chile Senator Juan Luis Castro holds community meeting on Rancagua prison expansion

Senator Juan Luis Castro led a meeting in Rancagua with local officials and residents to discuss the externalities of a planned expansion of the regional penitentiary. Attendees included Justice Subsecretary Luis Silva, regional Justice seremi Arturo Zúñiga, the mayors of Rancagua and Graneros, and neighborhood representatives from the surrounding sectors. The dialogue aimed to collect community concerns ahead of the upcoming re‑licitation of the prison, with the Justice Subsecretary noting that the new tender could address deficiencies that have built up over the past two decades.

Separately, a service agreement was signed in Antofagasta allowing sentenced individuals to perform community‑service work on public‑space maintenance. The program will allocate ten monthly positions to clean and upkeep local facilities such as a community centre, sports court, and green areas. Gendarmería de Chile and the local neighbourhood board praised the initiative as a way for offenders to repay society while benefiting the community.