2023-05-20 02:08:49
Police officers involved in the sale of cell phones for $25,000 inside prisons have generated an alert by the director of the National Rehabilitation Institute (INR), Luis Mendoza, who warns about the “tentacles of corruption.” During an appearance before legislators, Mendoza acknowledged that “everyone” introduces drugs into prisons and admitted that corrupting police officers is “very easy.” In addition, he pointed out that there are people inside prisons who earn much more money than outside.
Last week, approximately 140 new police officers graduated from the Penitentiary Training Center (Cefopen) joined the Ministry of the Interior and were directly assigned to work in prisons. At the end of their studies, they received advice from the director of the INR, who warned them about the risks of falling into corruption. All this was published by the newspaper The country with sources close to the facts.
Mendoza’s diagnosis, with years of experience in the prison system, is not encouraging. In his own words, “I, who live in prisons, tell them that you have to be realistic.” He emphasized a specific situation, mentioning that “the policeman may have to pay for the electricity on the 20th and cannot do it, but it turns out that the drug trafficker who is in prison has plenty of money.” This is the reality they face and must combat.
Mendoza openly admitted the existence of the corruption problem in prisons and expressed his concern about it. Over the past year, ten officials have been prosecuted, most with prison terms, for introducing phones, drugs and even weapons into prisons. One of them, a prison operator, has been imprisoned for five years for trying to bring a revolver into a prison and is currently serving his sentence in the Libertad Prison.
Corruption in prisons: “It is very easy to corrupt them”
The INR director emphasized that corruption cannot be hidden and they are facing the problem. So far in 2023, three officials have been prosecuted for trying to introduce unauthorized items, but it is estimated that this is only a small part of the cases.
According to testimonies provided by the police and corrupt operators themselves, the authorities are aware of the prices that are handled for the entry of prohibited items. In Unit 1 of Punta Rieles, for example, a policeman sold new cell phones to prisoners for $25,000, the chief said.
Given the alarming situation, a commissioner requested that an emergency be declared in three prisons, since the inmate population has increased by 20% in the last three years. Mendoza stated that “I am aware that everyone is taking drugs” and that anyone who visits prisons is potentially capable of introducing it. He did not blame the families who visit the prisoners, but admitted that officials are also involved in this problem.
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