For most prisoners, regaining freedom is the most anticipated moment. Augusto Pacicco, however, made a completely different decision: when he had the chance to leave prison early, he asked to be allowed to serve out his sentence behind bars.
Pacicco, 39, is serving a two-year sentence for small-scale drug trafficking at Penitentiary Unit No. 5 in Villa María, Córdoba. When the courts were considering granting him parole, he wrote a letter asking to be allowed to finish his sentence in prison.
“I do not feel fit to reintegrate into society“, he emphasized in his letter.
One of the reasons that drew the most attention was his relationship with another inmate at the prison, with whom he is romantically involved. According to him, both want to remain together while serving their respective sentences.
“All the prisoners tell me I’m crazy, that they would like to be in my place. There is no one who does not want to leave here. I’m the only one!“, Pacicco said.
But his decision is not solely due to love. The man also explained that he fears he may not be ready to return to society and that he wants to complete his treatment and sentence before definitively regaining his freedom.
Pacicco had worked for years in emergency services and caring for older adults, but said that after his mother’s death he went through a severe crisis and ended up becoming involved with drugs.
He is now at the center of an unusual situation: while other prisoners count the days until they get out, he decided to ask the courts for exactly the opposite.