I would like acknowledge the collaboration of my colleagues at ILPES, Antonio Bustamante, Lidia Montero, Julian Gonzalez, Johnny Madrigal and Dino Starcevic, who helped me review this book. Hector Elizondo, as always, was my main critic. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the Department of Social Adaptation and the Ministry of Justice of Costa Rica, who have collaborated both with ILPES and with me personally. I consider this Ministry to be a pioneer in recognizing the problems encountered in prisons and not trying to hide them as others have done. Although the situations mentioned in this book are common to all penitentiaries around the world, very few authorities are willing to acknowledge them.
However, the events described in this book are the exclusive responsibility of the author and do not represent the position of ILPES or the Ministry of Justice.