This Monday, February 12, Colombia declared a prison emergency due to the continuous attacks on guards and cases of extortion from prisons. The measure seeks to safeguard workers and combat corruption in prisons. This is the fourth time that an emergency of this type has been declared in this South American country: the first was in 2013 due to overcrowding; the second, in 2016, due to different problems; and the third, in 2020, due to the pandemic.
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The Colombian Government declared this Monday, February 12, a prison emergency to confront the persecution of prison guards by criminal gangs and combat the extortion carried out from the country's detention centers, all of which are highly overcrowded.
“We have just unanimously approved in the Board of Directors of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec) the declaration of a prison emergency that has two purposes: one, to protect the life and integrity of the prison guards, and the other, to completely eradicate extortion and corruption that come from prisons,” said Justice Minister Néstor Osuna.
The measure comes after the wave of violence in recent weeks against officials of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec), of which the most recent incident was the murder of agent Jesús Cárdenas, shot by two hitmen when he was having breakfast nearby. from the San Sebastián de Ternera prison, in Cartagena (north).
The director of Inpec explained that, based on the prison emergency decree, Visits to prisoners may be restricted, communications may be limited, and transfers and operations may be carried out within the cells of gang leaders. like 'La Inmaculada', which unleashed terror over the weekend in Tuluá, in the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest).
For the capture of Mauricio Marín Silva, alias 'Nacho', one of the leaders of 'La Inmaculada', also known as 'The Office', that criminal gang murdered a traffic guard, burned eight vehicles and threatened the mayor of Tuluá , Gustavo Vélez.
Faced with this situation, the authorities of Valle del Cauca militarized the city, but, as reported this Monday, the situation is under control.
Osuna explained that equipment will be purchased to block cell phone signals in prisons, which are used by prisoners to extort and even plan other criminal actions.
Additionally, surprise raids and searches will continue to be carried out in prisons and prisoners who are suspected of committing crimes will be transferred from their cells.
What is sought by blocking the signals is that the inmates cannot “easily communicate or establish any ties with the prison guard or with people from the vicinity of the prison,” Osuna explained.
Inpec manages 125 prison facilities throughout the country, with capacity for 81,740 inmates, but currently they house 101,976 people deprived of their liberty.
This means that the occupancy in the country's prisons exceeds their capacity by 20,236 inmates, which is equivalent to an overcrowding of 24.7%, classified as high by Inpec.
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