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| Large Puerto Rican Prison to Close |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/02/2003 |
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One of Puerto Rico's largest and oldest prisons will close in four months due to the high cost of renovations needed to bring it up-to-date with current standards, officials said. The Oso Blanco prison in suburban San Juan, also known as the Rio Piedras Correctional Complex, has been in use for about 60 years. It is one of the main prisons in the U.S. territory's corrections system, which has been plagued by crowding, gang violence and drug dealing. It is being closed in part because it has deteriorated below federal standards and also because the prison system has been fined about $250 million for violations since 1980, corrections undersecretary Rafael Santiago said recently. The fines arose from a 24-year-old class-action lawsuit, in which inmates complained of overcrowding and other deficiencies. 'The primary reason for the closing is the (prison's) structure,' Santiago said. For one thing, he said, Oso Blanco's cells are too small, and enlarging them could be very costly. It was unclear when a new prison would be built or where the prison's current 1,000 inmates would be moved. It is the second-largest prison on the island. In recent years, crowding has ceased to be a major problem with the construction of new lockups. The island's 51 correctional facilities have room for 17,000 prisoners and currently hold about 15,000. The Caribbean island's government recently declared Oso Blanco a historic building, which would prevent the alteration of its castle-like exterior, Santiago said. It was unclear what will happen to the prison once it is empty. |
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