In its last Congress, held from the 25th to 28th of May, CEPA has altered its Statute, starting to have international scope with the denomination of CEPA - International Spiritist Association. The XXII CEPA’s Congress took place in the city

of Rosario, Argentina, marking the end of the second management of the Argentinian Dante López, and the election of the Judge of Law Jacira Jacinto da Silva, from São Paulo, SP, as president, for the period of time 2016-2020. For this reason, CEPA’s headquarters will be located in Brazil during this quadrennium.

Jacira Jacinto da Silva is the author of the book “Criminality: Educate or Punish?”, fruit of the experience lived at penitenciaries while she acted as an Inspector of Prison at the district of Birigui, SP.

Born and raised from a spiritist craddle, as a child Jacira participated in what at the time was called “Spiritist Cathechism” (nowadays called “early Childhood Spiritist Education”). She also attended the “Youth Spiritist Education” and has directed other groups of study for the Young. She is married to the Professor Mauro Spinola. Jacira has been president of CEPAmigos (Association of the Delegates and Friends of CEPA in Brazil), nowadays called CEPABrasil, in the managements 2005-2007 and 2007-2009. She has always been present and active in the greatest Spiritist conclaves of secular and free-thinker segments, such as the “Forums of Spiritist Free-Thinking”, National Gatherings of CEPABrasil, CEPA’s Pan American Spiritist Congresses and the Ibero American Spiritist Gathering. She is a member of CPDoc (Center of Spiritist Research and Documentation) and attends the Center of Spiritist Studies José Herculano Pires, in São Paulo, SP.

In Birigui, she founded the APAC, initially denominated Association of Prison Protection and Assistance and then Association of Community Promotion And Assistance. That is because the work that had started in the interior of a prison got expanded, generated the construction of a Center for Resocialization of Prisoners, containing workshops, official teaching schools and other cultural activities, had other departments out of prison, other cells, like the support to the former prisoners, the institute of social promotion and inclusion, that dedicated itself to the children, grandchildren and other family members of the prisoners and from the communities most affected by the drug traffic, a work of support to the Young in conflicts with the Law, support to the victims etc.

In Bragança Paulista she helped found the ECOA – Community Learning Space, dedicated to the care for children who live in extreme social vulnerability. During the six years that she lived there, she dedicated herself to supporting this Project, that remained after her exit, as it happened in Birigui.

In São Paulo, Jacira gathered a group of close people, mostly spiritists (but not only) to start some quality public politics, without any involvement with political parties. Among so many social needs, it’s been chosen to work with the issue of chemical dependency, through the Fundação Porta Aberta (Foundation Open Door), that is dedicated to the personal and professional qualification and inclusion in the Market of the person who has already been through rehabilitation treatment, being in a clinic, a therapeutic community, a psychiatric hospital, or CAPS-ad.