HomeNewsBriefBolivia Struggles to Resolve Its Prison Crisis
BRIEF

Bolivia Struggles to Resolve Its Prison Crisis

BOLIVIA / 24 SEP 2014 BY ELYSSA PACHICO EN

A riot that left four people dead in one prison, and the escape of four inmates from another facility, have reignited the debate over how to approach prison reform in Bolivia.

On September 14, a riot between rival prison gangs in a penitentiary in Cochabamba state killed four and wounded 11. A second riot broke out at the prison three days later, after policeman attempted to enter and seize weapons and other prohibited materials.

In reaction to these disturbances, Bolivia's Ombudsman's Office called on the Justice Ministry to activate a "security plan" within the penitentiary. The Attorney General's Office then arrested the regional director of Cochabamba's prisons, accusing him of participating in a ring that charged inmates for access to better cells. This same prison director had initially denied that a second riot had even happened in the El Abra prison. 

More recently, authorities announced that four inmates had escaped from the San Pedro prison in La Paz just 24 hours after a police inspection, tying blankets together to use as ropes and climbing over the prison walls. According to officials, two of the escaped inmates were Peruvian nationals and one was allegedly linked to Peruvian guerrilla group the Shining Path, reported La Razon

After the breakout, Justice Minister Elizabeth Gutierrez said the police responsible for guarding and inspecting prisons across the country should be investigated.

InSight Crime Analysis

As is the case in prisons across Latin America, Bolivia's penitentiaries are crowded, underfunded, and barely under the control of authorities.

President Evo Morales did institute one recent policy to attempt to ease the overcrowding: offering pardons to low-level offenders who haven't yet had their cases resolved by the justice system, or have been sentenced to less than eight years in prison. Bolivia's prison director has said more than 800 people have benefitted from the policy since it became active in September 2013. The decree that enabled the measure was recently renewed and is expected to benefit somewhere around a thousand more prisoners. 

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Prisons

Continuing to clear out these low-level offenders from Bolivia's prisons may be the country's most viable strategy for now. What's clear is that if Bolivia continues to neglect the issue, authorities risk more prison riots with higher death tolls, such as one last year that left more than 30 dead.

While prison violence is a serious problem for Bolivia, a country with a relatively low homicide rate among the general population, it is overshadowed by prison violence in places like Venezuela. To put the problem in perspective: while 56 prisoners were killed between 2000 and 2008 in Bolivia, more than 400 were killed in Venezuelan prisons just in 2011.  

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 1 FEB 2022

In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to…

BOLIVIA / 22 JUL 2021

A recent clash between soldiers and smugglers has pointed to how Bolivia’s trade in contraband has reached a flashpoint.

BARRIO 18 / 16 MAY 2022

As part of his sweeping gang crackdown, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has overseen the mass imprisonment of tens of…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.