Mexico: Prison Conditions Call for State Accountability with Dr. Elena Azaola

In this episode, Barbara Frey speaks with Doctor Elena Azaola, an anthropologist and psychoanalyst who specializes in Mexico’s politics of security. Her research focuses on youth impacted by Mexico’s criminal legal system, children and adolescents affected by widespread violence, and women deprived of liberty. Through these lenses, Dr. Azaola explains the considerations that should be taken into account when advocating for the best interests of children accompanying a parent into the prison system. She discusses the issues faced by Mexico’s prisons—such as overcrowding, lack of resources, and ineffective separation of incarcerated men and women—and weighs these conditions against the act of separating a young child from an incarcerated parent. By evaluating these circumstances while respecting the familial bonds between parent and child, Dr. Azaola sheds valuable light on parental incarceration in Mexico. Transcript (English) [PDF] Transcripción (Español) [PDF]