Venezuela prison guards taken hostage after riot
Keyvette Oliver
Two Venezuelan officers were held hostage after a riot broke out between rival gangs in a Venezuelan prison in the western state of Tachira. In this brawl, eight inmates were killed and a total of four prison officials were held hostage. Two officers were released after negotiations were made which included transferring members from one gang to a different prison. The over-crowding of Venezuelan prisons has been a root of the crime and gang violence within prison walls. The army was brought in to mediate the situation, but could not use force to resolve it. This was not the first uproar of prison violence involving gangs in a Venezuelan prison. Last July governmental officials in Venezuela created a “new ministry” to reform the prison systems after a riot in a jail outside Caracas, El Rodeo. At this incident, 25 people of rival gangs were killed and a month long blockade while armed, dangerous prisoners refused to surrender. According to Minister for Prisons Iris Varela, 40% of inmates who have committed minor crimes have the potential to be released to alleviate the issue of over-crowding. According to the article, Venezuelan prisons hold up to three times the allotted number of inmates the prisons were designed to house. As a result of poor security and over-crowding, weapons and drugs are easily and widely available and gang violence is recurrent.
I find an interest in prison violence because it amazes me that criminals cannot be controlled and aren’t safe from their own harm. Prisons are not designed to be comfortable, but I do believe prison officials should still try to protect the inmates, as they are humans, too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15582791
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