|
|
| Report: Mexico City Prisons Inadequate |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 07/05/2002 |
|
A government human rights report has described Mexico City's prisons as corrupt traps for underguarded inmates and horribly overcrowded centers that reek of raw sewage and marijuana. 'Inhuman conditions for the inmates are prevalent' in many of the capital's prisons, according to the report issued recently by the government's National Human Rights Commission. It accused officials of routinely violating human rights and said they could be held criminally responsible for the 'deplorable condition' of the prisons. In a news conference June 27, Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his administration was working to overcome the admittedly bad conditions, which he blamed largely on the fact 22,000 inmates were held in prisons meant for 14,000. The report did not mention conditions in other Mexican prisons, where overcrowding is also common and which have been harshly criticized by independent human rights groups. The commission's investigators said they found exposed electrical cables, puddles of sewage and corroded roofing that prisoners pried loose as raw material for homemade knives. Many toilets lacked bowls or were blocked and overflowing. Trash was scattered about uncollected. The result 'created nauseating odors. Added to that was the presence of harmful animals, principally cockroaches and rodents, worsening the unhealthy conditions.' Many inmates had to use buckets for bathrooms and take baths in hallways, the report said. Food is often cooked in unsanitary conditions and is scooped out by hand, it said. The report described 'extreme conditions of overcrowding,' noting that the Southern Men's Prison held 4,264 inmates in an area meant for 1,422, meaning that the rest were sleeping on the floor. At the Eastern Men's Prison, where 7,943 inmates are in an area designed for 4,766, investigators said they found 23 inmates, supposedly in isolation, occupying a single 13-by-10 foot cell. 'None had a mattress.' Yet other inmates do surprisingly well. The commission said that both the southern and eastern prisons had one dormitory kept far below capacity. Those prisoners had access to tennis and squash courts, a neatly trimmed lawn and hired services such as cooking and cleaning by other inmates. A study to solve these problems is underway. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think