This series of five case studies and one policy report explores how government mismanagement, neglect and corruption have made the jails in the region powerful incubators of organized crime.
The Prison Dilemma in the Americas
COLOMBIA
/
16 FEB 2017
Chapter 1
The Prison Dilemma: Latin America’s Incubators of Organized Crime
PRISONS
/
19 JAN 2017
The prison system in Latin America and the Caribbean has become a prime incubator for organized crime. This overview -- the first of six reports on prison systems that we…
Chapter 2
Reign of the Kaibil: Guatemala’s Prisons Under Byron Lima
BARRIO 18
/
26 JAN 2017
Following Guatemala's long and brutal civil war, members of the military were charged, faced trial and sentenced to jail time. Even some members of a powerful elite unit known as…
Chapter 3
Where Chaos Reigns: Inside the San Pedro Sula Prison
BARRIO 18
/
2 FEB 2017
In San Pedro Sula's jailhouse, chaos reigns. The inmates, trapped in their collective misery, battle for control over every inch of their tight quarters. Farm animals and guard dogs roam…
Chapter 4
Colombia's Mirror: War and Drug Trafficking in the Prison System
AUC
/
10 FEB 2017
Colombia's prisons are a reflection of the multiple conflicts that have plagued the country for the last half-century. Paramilitaries, guerrillas and drug trafficking groups have vied for control of the…
Chapter 5
El Salvador Prisons and the Battle for the MS13’s Soul
BARRIO 18
/
16 FEB 2017
El Salvador's prison system is the headquarters of the country's largest gangs. It is also where one of these gangs, the MS13, is fighting amongst itself for control of the…
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GUATEMALA
/
29 OCT 2014
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BARRIO 18
/
11 OCT 2012
El Faro’s interviews with members of El Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha point to limits of the current…
COCAINE
/
4 FEB 2021
Drug trafficking has been reconfigured in Guatemala. The large clans that traditionally dominated the business have broken up.
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime
27 JUL 2021
InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border
20 JUL 2021
InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.
THE ORGANIZATION
Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations
8 JUL 2021
With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.
THE ORGANIZATION
Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence
30 JUN 2021
InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.
THE ORGANIZATION
Conversation with Paraguay Judicial Operators on PCC
24 JUN 2021
InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley formed part of a panel attended by over 500 students, all of whom work in Paraguay's judicial system.
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