ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguay just a few months in the past launched an operation to handle among the many issues plaguing its jail system, together with inner gang management, however one drawback particularly has confirmed tough to cope with: overcrowding.

The South American nation has 18 prisons with a capability for nearly 10,000 inmates, however the present inhabitants exceeds 17,600, in line with the most recent figures supplied by authorities which go till the tip of 2023.

A rustic of greater than 6 million inhabitants, Paraguay is taken into account a regional drug trafficking hub.

An Related Press photographer not too long ago had entry to 5 completely different prisons — 4 male services and one for girls — to see how their inmates stay. Excluding the feminine detention heart, overcrowding was frequent.

One of many penitentiaries the AP visited was Tacumbú, the biggest jail in Paraguay, which authorities raided 9 months in the past in an effort to regain management from the Rotela clan — a gang that has prolonged its presence onto Paraguay’s streets and into a few of its prisons.

The police operation ended with a dozen individuals lifeless, a number of injured and the relocation of 700 inmates to different lockups.

Contained in the jail, cells designed to carry 5 inmates maintain greater than 15. Prisoners usually sleep on skinny mattresses on the ground and hold towels in an try at privateness. They search for methods to spend their time.

The services the AP visited have been minimum-security prisons, so inmates work together extra freely. However for individuals who break the principles, there are cells in an remoted space the place they’re held with out guests.

Inside “El Buen Pastor,” or Good Shepherd, feminine jail, issues look cleaner and fewer crowded than within the males’s services.

Any given day, in prisons like Tacumbú, there are stretching classes in open areas or non secular ceremonies. Some inmates play soccer whereas others want bingo. Some attempt to earn cash and shine the guards sneakers for 30 cents.

There are not any eating areas, so inmates eat of their cells or in hallways. On chilly days, prisoners are allowed to make a hearth within the patios to maintain heat.

Atiliano Cuyer, 64, was detained for home violence and says he’s been ready for 10 months for a trial contained in the Coronel Oviedo regional penitentiary.

“Justice in Paraguay doesn’t work if you happen to don’t have cash,” he provides.