Anti-corruption legislation in Puerto Rico: A sociolegal study of the registry of persons convicted of corruption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1676Keywords:
Corruption, anti-corruption reforms, colonialism, legislation, punitive governance, Corrupción, reformas anticorrupción, colonialismo, gobernanza punitivaAbstract
This paper engages in a sociolegal analysis of the anti-corruption legislation enacted by the Puerto Rican Government in the aftermath of Maria (2017). The paper pays particular attention to the implementation and sociolegal impact of Act 2 of January 4, 2018, entitled, “The Anti-Corruption Code for the New Puerto Rico” and the creation of a Registry of Persons Convicted of Corruption. The rationale behind the Act and the Registry is to enforce transparency, open governance, and help the Puerto Rican government in its efforts to eradicate public corruption. Conversely, this paper argues that these reforms have introduce a punitive approach to anti-corruption in PR. Approach that I have termed, punitive governance. The paper suggests Act 2 and the Registry had have a dual outcome: 1) a punitive approach to corruption that harm people in precarious positions, and 2) normalize the structural dynamic enabling corruption the powerful. Thus, this paper intends to illustrate the contradictions in anti-corruption as punitive governance, and the way in which a specific image of corruption is reproduced through governmental actions, legal practices, and discourses.
Este artículo realiza un análisis socio-jurídico de la legislación anticorrupción promulgada por el Gobierno de Puerto Rico tras el paso del huracán María (2017). El articulo presta especial atención a la implementación e impacto socio-jurídico de la Ley 2 de 4 de enero de 2018, titulada “El Código Anticorrupción para el Nuevo Puerto Rico” y la creación de un Registro de Personas Convictas por Actos de Corrupción. La razón fundamental detrás de la Ley y el Registro es hacer cumplir políticas de transparencia, la gobernabilidad y ayudar al gobierno de Puerto Rico en sus esfuerzos por erradicar la corrupción en el sector público. Por el contrario, este artículo argumenta que estas reformas han introducido un enfoque punitivo para combatir la corrupción en PR. El artículo sugiere que la Ley 2 y el Registro tuvieron un doble resultado: 1) un enfoque punitivo de la corrupción que perjudica a las personas en posiciones precarias, y 2) normalizar la dinámica estructural que permite la corrupción de los poderosos. Así, este artículo pretende ilustrar las contradicciones de la anticorrupción como gobernanza punitiva, y la forma en que se reproduce una imagen específica de corrupción a través de acciones gubernamentales, prácticas jurídicas y discursos legales.
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