Bolivia: Convicts rule Bolivia’s unguarded prison. El Penal de San Pedro, or San Pedro Prison, is the largest prison in Bolivia. Unlike other prisons, inmates at San Pedro have jobs in their community. They can buy or rent accommodation. Often live with their families.
Prisons are run by criminals. There are no guards inside the prison. There are currently around 3,000 prisoners in the jail. San Pedro has its own council of prisoners. They make laws and decide punishments.
In some cases, families of inmates at San Pedro prefer to live inside the prison. Because it is rumored that wives and children are safer inside the prison than outside. Flogging is the most common punishment for rapists and child molesters.
A writer named ‘Rusty Young’ once bribed his way into a San Pedro jail and stayed there for 4 months. Earlier it was during the publication of his book ‘Marching Powder’. This book was an expose of the reality of drug trafficking inside prisons.
Rusty Young mentions in his book that when a sex offender arrives at a prison, a mob will gather to receive the offender, escort him through the corridors, and electrocute, stab or beat the offender. The jail also has a swimming pool. It is used for various executions.
Although San Pedro looks like any other prison from the outside, it is quite different from the inside. Inside are barber shops, restaurants, churches, classes, and other small businesses. If a prisoner does not get a room he may die of cold. Prisoners can buy or rent their cells. They are rated from 0 to 5.5 stars. Another most amazing fact is that there are no metal bars or guards on the cell windows. And prisoners don’t live in their cells for free. They have to pay for their cells by doing various jobs like carpentry, washing clothes and polishing boots inside the prison.
#guards #Prisons #Bolivia #ruled #criminals #Madhyamam
2023-09-07 08:49:11
