Prisons in Guatemala

After our discussion in class about drugs, crime and prisons in Guatemala, I was interested in finding out more. Last week La Prensa Libre reported that a man was killed from gang related violence in Preventative Zone 18 – one of Guatemala’s 10 federal prisons. To research more I typed in “Guatemala Prisons into Google. What I found was fascinating: hundreds of articles about prison murders, corruption, drug trades and gangs. In 2005 alone, a gang staged 7 simultaneous prison riots, with 31 prisoners being killed. In June of the same year four severed heads found in public places with notes attached with demands from the gangs within the prisons. Later that month a woman prison officer was killed after the government rejected the demands of the gang. These types of killings are rampant among these unsupervised and almost inhabitable prisons. Why are they unsupervised? Gangs are notoriously powerful in Guatemala, intimidating guards who are unable to keep control of the interior. The guards are then stationed just at the perimeter, allowing the inside to be governed by the hellish society that gangs embody. In addition, corruption among prison guards is extremely common.

Para entender la vida de las pandillas de América Latina quiero hablar un poco acerca de la MS-13, una de las bandas más influyentes en el área. Aunque no es una banda nativa de Guatemala, tienen una enorme presencia en el sistema penitenciario de la nación. La cárcel de Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador se compone de una serie de bandas diferentes, pero debido al aumento de la violencia de las pandillas fueron segregados, con la población exclusivamente compuesto por miembros de la MS-13. La prisión ahora se describe como "la universidad", un rito de pasaje en el llifestyle pandillas. En el pasado, la cárcel de Ciudad Barrios se convirtió en un caldo de cultivo de la MS-13 el orgullo, donde fueron capaces de controlar los locales interiores, se marca con tatuajes y crear redes con otros miembros de pandillas. Esta cárcel estaba demasiado llena, suministra raciones cada vez más difícil a los internos y carecía de cualquier apariencia de las instalaciones higiénicas. Me parece interesante que en esta prisión es, en cierto modo, en alguna parte que todos los miembros de la banda será (o posiblemente incluso la esperanza de ser) en algún momento de sus vidas.

Guatemala has a Ciudad Barrios of its own, an even more captivating example. The Independent Republic of Pavón, as it was known around Guatemala, received worldwide attention in 2006 with a police raid of 3000 soldiers who stormed the interior to regain control. Why is this prison so different from others? The government had initially set up this prison envisioning the rehabilitation – not merely housing – of criminals. They set up an ‘order committee’ of inmates who were supposed to give the prisoners a semblance of say in prison decisions. This semblance became full out power soon after its introduction with the government abdicating all power, retaining only control of the perimeter. For 10 years the prison was run by some of Guatemala’s most feared criminals. It was described as a feudal state led by drug lords, unable to be recaptured by the officials. Imagining the states of a prison like ths, knowing what terrible conditions many others in Latin America are in, it’s easy to picture virtually abject poverty, horrible overcrowding, violence and terrible living conditions. Though much of this is true for the lower end of the population, for many it was not as bad as it seemed. Luis Alfonso Zepeda was the leader of the ‘order committee’, making decisions and controlling many aspects of prison life. He made $25000 a month by renting out land that he ‘owned’ to other prisoners. Like many of the other prison elite, he lived in – comparatively - luxury; television, fridge, access to drugs, prostitutes and much more. What became of this prison can be described as a mixture of Lord of the Flies and the Sopranos, with a virtually independent state creating its own prison economy. Picture this: restaurants, bars, pool halls, barber shops, a brothel, spa baths, internet cafes, a telephone centre, a video arcade and even a prison disco. All of this was in Pavón prison. Inmates found jobs mixing cocaine, bartending or in the tailor shop. The elite were able to communicate to the outside world, continuing to do gang related business from their confines in Pavón. Zepeda even brought his son into the prison (he hadn’t been arrested for anything) to help him with the business.

These stories are mesmerizing. It is unbelievable that these microcosmic lives behind walls are effectively involved in the sustaining of gang activity. Though Pavón was raided and abandoned, these situations exist all over Latin America. How can the country solve gang related crime when the prisons where the criminals are supposed to be punished are just a breeding ground for further crime? How do you control savage criminals who do not hesitate to kill those around them in the interests of their gang?

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/PDH-conoce-denuncia-abusos-prision_0_357564285.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Inmates-ran-prison-for-10-years/2006/09/30/1159337370838.html