President Nayib Bukele and the Director of Prisons, Osiris Luna, have released a new video on social media highlighting the strength and organizational discipline of El Salvador’s prison system, marking another milestone of the country’s ongoing transformation under the “Modelo Bukele.”
Once plagued by corruption, El Salvador’s penitentiary system allowed gang members to operate with impunity, having access to cell phones, video game consoles, nightclubs, and even sex workers behind bars. Today, authorities claim that those days are over. “Our prison system now stands on order and discipline,” stated Director Luna.
A central pillar of this transformation is “Plan Cero Ocio,” a prison labor and reintegration program that the government describes as one of the most effective in the world. More than 48,000 inmates—excluding gang members—are participating in structured work initiatives aimed at reducing their sentences and contributing to society.
The program has seen significant output. In a single month, 6,500 inmates in textile workshops can produce up to 600,000 garments. In shoe workshops, over 6,000 inmates aim to manufacture 150,000 pairs of shoes. Meanwhile, 15,000 inmates work outside prison with the government’s construction company, and 62 crews are currently renovating schools nationwide.
The program also includes 8,000 inmates engaged in cleaning campaigns, fumigation, hospital reconstruction, and public maintenance. In agriculture, over 500 inmates are building integrated irrigation systems and producing for national agro markets. Other workshops include furniture production, appliance repair, automotive work, upholstery, pottery, artistic painting, and even detergent manufacturing.
“Our prison system is becoming increasingly productive and self-sufficient,” Luna added. The country has also trained more than 44,000 inmates through a labor training center and recently inaugurated a prison symphony orchestra as a symbol of rehabilitation.
El Salvador’s government continues to promote this transformation as proof that second chances, coupled with discipline and structure, can serve both inmates and society.
