Artificial intelligence and the prison system: Challenges, opportunities and limitations

Abstract

Artificial intelligence in the prison system is a growing reality internationally, although in Cuba the debate on its implications is still in its early stages. This article analyzes the challenges, opportunities, and ethical and legal limitations of its potential introduction into the Cuban prison system, using a qualitative methodology based on dogmatic analysis and a literature review. Applications such as predictive video surveillance and recidivism risk assessment are examined. Opportunities include the optimization of limited resources, the reduction of arbitrariness, and the personalization of rehabilitation programs. The main challenges are the lack of technological infrastructure and the digital divide. Ethical and legal limitations include the prohibition of automated decisions that affect fundamental rights without substantial human oversight, the requirement of algorithmic transparency, and the right to judicial review. The article concludes that, despite the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, its implementation in Cuba requires, as an essential condition, prior basic digitization and a regulatory framework that guarantees human dignity, due process, and the rehabilitative aims of punishment.