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Since 2013, the University of Panama, through its San Miguelito Regional University Center (Crusam), has been running the "Higher Education Annex Program at the Cecilia Orillac de Chiari Women's Rehabilitation Center" (CEFERE, a women's prison). This program serves a specific population of female inmates who pursue bachelor's and associate's degree programs. In the program's twelve years of existence, more than 120 students have graduated. Interestingly, none of these 120 students have reoffended. This has led to the program being promoted by Panamanian security institutions and the University of Panama as a success in "resocialization," "rehabilitation," and "reintegration," as well as a successful state prison policy. However, by examining the foundations of the security strategy to which this program belongs, other perspectives emerge for understanding, situating, and interpreting it. Thus, this essay establishes a theoretical-analytical discussion, drawing on power studies, with the aim of providing an alternative view to the official discourse. To achieve this objective, the concepts of neoliberal governmentality and the Security State are considered, revealing that, while the operational strategy preserves profound aspects of the (liberal) biopolitical apparatus, it nevertheless transcends the logic of punishment, discipline, and the institutional narrative, situating the CEFERE Annex Program within a distinct political framework: social control.
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