Bolivarian Foundation for penitenciary research
Fundación bolivariana de investigación penitenciaria

Building Stronger Communities and Elevating Human Potential

The Bolivarian Foundation for Penitentiary Research (FUNBIP) is a Venezuela-based non-profit conducting community work and participatory-action-research to enhance resilience, opportunity for all and unity:

Resilience – Fostering strength, adaptability, and perseverance in all aspects of life.

Opportunity for All – Ensuring that background or circumstances does not limit potential.

Unity – Collaborating across social sectors and engaging in dialogue and reform to generate positive and lasting changes.

Our Approach: Empowerment through Inclusion

Since 2009, FUNBIP has been committed to empowering underserved communities in Venezuela to break free from cycles of marginalization, limited opportunities, and incarceration. Through community-driven approaches and participatory action research, FUNBIP creates pathways for individuals to build independent and successful lives despite adversity.

Our key work areas include:

Community Engagement - We strengthen social bonds and promote healthy conflict resolution methods by offering sports programs for youth and adult and fostering community networks that support long-term success.
Education and Opportunities - We provide skills training, mentorship, and academic resources to help young people succeed at the university level and beyond.
Rehabilitation and Reintegration - We deliver targeted rehabilitation programs in penitentiary institutions and youth detention centers, focusing on restoring dignity and preparing participants for life after release by addressing their social, emotional, and legal needs
Criminal Law Workshops and Research - We offer workshops and conduct research to train lawyers and carceral professionals in interpreting criminal law through a human rights lens, aiming to reform legal practices and promote justice.
Workshops for Peace and Human Potential - We work with schools and community institutions to deliver violence prevention programs and to reduce the risk of youth entering the criminal justice system.

5 000+

30 000+

Persons deprived of freedom have participated in sports activities, personal development and social reintegration workshops and legal support clinics.

Youth and community members have received training in martial arts (Hapkido and Taekwondo), team sports, or academic support.

700+

Lawyers and legal professionals have been trained in criminal law interpretation (penal dosimetry, calculation of sentences and sentence redemptions) with a focus on human rights

FUNBIP's Core Areas of Focus

Martial Arts Training

Training of body and mind, fostering perseverance, discipline, and overcoming limiting personal narratives through Hapkido and Taekwondo.

Team Sports

Promotion of teamwork, social cohesion, and constructive conflict resolution

Mentoring and financial assistance to open opportunities in university education for underprivileged youth

Workshops grounded in practice and research covering violence prevention, criminology, and human rights to prevent youth and community members from entering the criminal justice system or to support the successful reintegration of individuals after their release.

Training of lawyers and penitentiary professionals in criminal law interpretation with a human rights perspective and based on research.

Academic Support

Social Prevention and Rehabilitation Workshops

Criminal Law Workshops

FUNBIP Moments: a Lens Into our World

**Bolivarian Foundation for Penitentiary Research - Fundación Bolivariana de Investigación Penitenciaria (FUNBIP)**

A community work and participatory action-research non-profit organization based in Caracas, Venezuela, focusing on strengthening communities and developing human potential through sports training, academic support, social rehabilitation and prevention programs, criminal law capacity building, and research initiatives.

Non-profit registration number: J-31720303-8

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