HomeNewsBriefExtortion of Mexico Inmates' Families Underscores Corruption
BRIEF

Extortion of Mexico Inmates' Families Underscores Corruption

EXTORTION / 18 NOV 2013 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Authorities are investigating complaints by family members of prisoners in Chihuahua, Mexico that they have been forced to pay extortion fees in order to get visitation rights, highlighting the rampant corruption in the country's prisons.

Family members of prisoners at the State Social Rehabilitation Center 3 (Cereso Estatal 3) in Juarez have said they have to pay up to $150 per month for the right to visit their jailed relatives, and to prevent the prisoner from being subjected to punishments, including strenuous physical activity, beatings and solitary confinement, reported El Diario de Juarez.

They also claimed that prison guards organize "parties" in which prisoners are forced to pay $37 to watch naked women dance, some of whom are female inmates (a plate of meat and two beers are included). If they cannot pay within two days, another $23 interest is added; further punishment comes to those who take longer.

Jorge Chairez Daniel, the spokesman for the state's prison system, said he has not received any formal complaints but acknowledged the difficulty of monitoring the 500 guards working at the facility. The Juarez Attorney General's Office will begin investigations into the complaints, reported El Diario de Juarez.

InSight Crime Analysis

The case highlights the dire nature of Mexico's prisons, and the corruption that allows these poor conditions to flourish. The country's severely overcrowded prison system is rife with abuses, including the denial of the right to a fair trial, cases of torture and beatings, and the inability or desire to prevent violent uprisings. Prison guards were also accused of involvement in a major Zetas prison break in Nuevo Leon in 2012, one of many instances of corruption and collusion.

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Prisons

While human rights violations are rampant, the Cereso case is interesting because it involves extortion by prison guards and the targeting of family members. Extortion is a word commonly associated with Latin American prisons in general, but it is usually the prisoners themselves involved in the act. Powerful inmates who effectively run prisons in Mexico, Venezuela and Honduras force their fellow prisoners to pay taxes in exchange for a range of services. Prisoners in the region also run extortion schemes outside of jails, using cell phones to exact fees with the help of accomplices on the exterior.

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

GULF CARTEL / 12 MAR 2023

A faction of one of Mexico's oldest organized crime groups is doing damage control following the murder of two US…

FENTANYL / 14 APR 2021

Seizures of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl by customs agents in the United States have skyrocketed nationwide, underscoring potential shifts…

DRUG POLICY / 20 APR 2021

Ecuador’s next president will face an unprecedented set of security challenges, as prison violence has soared to record levels, the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…