Latin America’s prison problem
Many jailhouses across the Americas are overcrowded, out of control and ready to burst.
Relatives of inmates of Venezuela’s El Rodeo prison weep outside the jailhouse in Guatire, in the outskirts of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, June 17, 2011. The jailhouse, one of Venezuela’s most violent, had been the scene of a bloody battle as police fought to take back control of the prison from rebelling criminals.
LEO RAMIREZ
Many jailhouses across the Americas are overcrowded, out of control and ready to burst. This year, the violence has escalated with deadly fires in Honduras, riots in Venezuela and gang-led jailbreaks in Mexico.