HomeNewsBrief'No State Presence' In Bolivia's Jails: Morales
BRIEF

'No State Presence' In Bolivia's Jails: Morales

BOLIVIA / 2 SEP 2013 BY MIRIAM WELLS EN

Following a prison riot in Bolivia that killed more than 30 people and revelations about the jails' mini-service economies and extortion rackets, President Evo Morales said the country's penitentiaries have "no state presence" and vowed to reform the system.

Speaking to regional authorities, Morales admitted jails were under the control of groups of prisoners who charged other inmates when they first entered the facility, for safety once inside, and to secure their release, reported La Razon. Urgent changes were needed, he said, highlighting that 84 percent of prisoners had not even been sentenced and were awaiting trial.

"If 84 percent are in preventative detention, then where is Bolivian justice?" the president asked.

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Prisons

La Razon spoke to prisoners at Palmasola jail where at least 34 people died following an attack by inmates from one block against another on August 23. These inmates told the newspaper they were charged by "power groups" to rent cells, move between cellblocks, see visitors and even attend hearings related to their cases. "Entry fees" ranged from $217 if the new inmate had been charged with minor crimes, to $2,500 if they were charged with drug trafficking, sexual abuse, or vehicle theft.

"They want to charge us even to breathe," said one elderly inmate.

InSight Crime Analysis

The prisoners' testimony to La Razon reveals how Latin American jails have their own complex economies -- and just like in the real world, without money you cannot survive. A host of different "jobs" exist to serve such economies, from the "mobiles" who are paid between 30 and 70 cents to locate a particular prisoner for visitors, to those who sell food or drugs, to those who sit at the top managing the system.

In Bolivia such systems can work in the prisoners' interests. Prison leaders known as "delegates" are elected to advocate for their fellow inmates. Money is then allocated for infrastructure improvements, health care and legal assistance. This is in contrast to Venezuela, Brazil, and Central America, where powerful prison gangs control all aspects of life on the inside.

However, it's also clear that criminal extortion exists alongside any democratic "taxation" system, and the fact that prisoners can be forced to pay even to attend hearings or secure their release underscores the reality that Morales has now acknowledged -- that the state has completely lost control of its penitentiary system, and urgent reform is needed.

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

BOLIVIA / 9 AUG 2022

Politicians are pushing for the Chilean government to declare a state of emergency in the northern regions including Tarapacá…

ECUADOR / 24 DEC 2021

Ecuador's descent into violence followed a common path: more cocaine led to more cash and more weapons for the gangs.

BOLIVIA / 4 FEB 2022

The US indictment of Bolivia's former anti-narcotics chief on drug and weapons charges means he could possibly be extradited to…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board 

22 SEP 2023

This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan

15 SEP 2023

InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation

8 SEP 2023

Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…

THE ORGANIZATION

Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper

1 SEP 2023

Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate

25 AUG 2023

This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…