Inmate Augusto Pacicco Rejects Parole to Stay with Partner in Argentine Prison

Augusto Pacicco, a 39‑year‑old inmate at Unit Penitenciaria Nº 5 in Villa María, Córdoba, Argentina, declined a conditional release offered by Federal Oral Court No. 3. He wrote a handwritten letter to the court stating he wants to serve the remaining ten months of his two‑year sentence for drug‑related offenses. Pacicco’s decision is driven by two reasons: he wishes to remain with his boyfriend Roy, another detainee with whom he has shared a cell and a relationship for more than a year, and he fears homelessness and a relapse into drug use after release, having spent a decade on the streets following his mother’s death. Before his incarceration Pacicco worked in emergency services and cared for elderly patients. He told Telenoche, “They say I’m crazy, but I’m the only one who wants to stay here,” explaining his choice to complete his sentence inside the prison.