This article explores a pair of powerful but competing symbols in the Chilean human transitional justice process: ‘pobres viejitos’ (poor little old men) and country club prisons. The symbol of the ‘pobres viejitos’ is used very effectively by conservative elements of Chilean society to argue the futility or even inhumanity of punishing perpetrators of human right violations so long after the commission of their crimes. In turn, to victims and more liberal segments of society, the country club or ‘five star’ prison for human rights violators stands as a symbol of impunity and the failure of the Chilean state to do justice for the crimes of the dictatorship. This article examines the power of these symbols in undermining support for transitional justice efforts, as well as the externalities of the debate. The fate of the ‘pobres viejitos’ and whether to release the from even their relatively comfortable places of confinement has bled into debates on penal reform for other elderly prisoners. This mostly negative externality suggests the need for international and regional courts (or countries not in the throes of transitional justice processes, particularly delayed ones) to lead the way on the articulation of human rights norms related to the trial and punishment of elderly prisoners.

本文探讨了智利人类过渡时期司法过程中的两个强大但相互竞争的符号：“pobres viejitos”（可怜的小老头）和乡村俱乐部监狱。智利社会的保守分子非常有效地使用“pobres viejitos”的象征来论证在侵犯人权的肇事者实施犯罪后很长时间内对其进行惩罚是徒劳的，甚至是不人道的。反过来，对于受害者和更自由的社会阶层来说，针对侵犯人权者的乡村俱乐部或“五星级”监狱象征着有罪不罚和智利国家未能为独裁者的罪行伸张正义。本文考察了这些符号在削弱对过渡时期司法努力的支持方面的力量，以及辩论的外部性。'pobres viejitos' 的命运以及是否将他们从相对舒适的监禁场所释放出来，已经引发了关于对其他老年囚犯进行刑事改革的辩论。这种主要是负面的外部性表明，国际和区域法院（或未处于过渡时期司法程序阵痛中的国家，特别是延迟的国家）需要带头阐明与审判和惩罚老年囚犯有关的人权规范。