Colombia's 2023 Public Utility Law has led to the release of more than 200 women with caring responsibilities from prison, offering a second chance to first-time female offenders who are heads of households. The law, which came into force in 2024, allows eligible women to apply to serve their remaining sentence in the community, subject to completing 20 hours of voluntary work per week and regular reporting to a judge.
Jennifer Chaparro Pernet, 36, became the first woman freed under the law on 4 May 2024, after serving four years of a 12-year sentence for gang-related offences. She had started stealing at 15 when she became a single mother and later joined a gang. Sandra Julieth Cantor, a mother of one, was released in March 2025 after five years of a 10-year sentence for drug smuggling. Both women turned to crime out of desperation to support their families.
The law acknowledges that many of Colombia's 6,000 female prisoners come from poverty and lack access to proper legal representation. Half are serving sentences for drug offences. In prison, conditions are harsh, with overcrowded cells and poor food. Cantor described sharing a cell with five others, with two sleeping on the floor.
For these women, the strongest motivation was reuniting with their children. Chaparro Pernet lost contact with her two daughters while inside, and Cantor's family lied to her nine-year-old about her imprisonment, leading the girl to consider suicide.
Despite the releases, campaigners say the law has fallen short of expectations. Isabel Pereira, drug policy coordinator at Dejusticia, stated: 'We were expecting at least half of the 6,000 women in prison would be released within two years, so just over 200 is very disappointing.' There is no official data on how many women have applied for the scheme.
