CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan prison officials have shut down a prison and seized dozens of weapons after moving inmates to other lockups.
Officials found a total of 56 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and 12 grenades at the prison in Coro in western Falcon state, Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela said on Monday at a news conference. Officials displayed the weapons on a table at the prison, where state television showed officials walking down grimy hallways.
President Hugo Chavez has pledged to improve the prison system following repeated deadly clashes in the country's overcrowded penitentiaries.
Varela has said officials began moving about 600 inmates out of the prison on Oct. 14 as part of a larger government effort transfer prisoners to better facilities. She said on Friday that violence broke out at the prison last week, with two reported killed and 13 injured.
Inmates in Venezuelan prisons often obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards. Varela said on Monday that two prison officials were detained and under investigation.
Stella Lugo, the governor of Falcon state, said on state television that the Coro prison is to be demolished starting Tuesday.
Government officials have pledged to build new prisons to improve conditions and ease crowding.
Posted By: Eunice
I think that they need to take action on the guards who gave the guns and drugs to prisoners. If they continue to let this go on it will lead to more deaths and injuries(Kylen H.).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kylen's comment; it is imperative that the government step in and take action against anyone supplying contraband items to criminals, whether they are guards are outside sources. Prison crime is a serious issue and it has already killed two people and injured thirteen, as the article states. Hopefully the action that the government is taking to move prisoners to better facilities will improve the security as well.-Cecilia
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the prisoners are simply doing the same criminal activity in prison that they would be doing on the streets of Venezuela. I find it unbelivable that this has been tolerated in prisons for so long. It is of the utmost importance that prison be a place free of drugs and weapons in order to protect the lives of the prisoners and premote rehabilitation from a life of crime.
ReplyDeleteMolly
The government really needs to take action against this corrupt system of guards who are supplying weapons to inmates. It is scary because if inmates gain a hold of enough weapons, it could lead to a major out break of criminals, risking the lives of the Venezuela people. I don't think the government would want that on their hands too.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin
I think they need to be safer with who they hire as guards and maybe set up cameras around the facility to monitor not only the inmates but also the guards. They should probably do a better search of the inmates when they get to the prison and "random searches" of their rooms and the inmates just to make sure that they haven't gotten any more weapons. It's better that they're safe then sorry and prevent other deaths.
ReplyDeleteKelsey G.
Unsafe and unregulated penitentiaries is a huge threat to Venezuelan national security, and it's making Venezuela look bad to the rest of the world. If this is going on in their prisons, then what do you think is going on in their cities? Hugo Chavez needs to make cleaning up the prison system a high priority if he's going to be in office for several more years. -Mae Markowski
ReplyDeleteIf the prisons aren't properly guarded or regulated, they could be among the most dangerous places in the world. It's just a group of murderers, rapists, and drug dealers with access to whatever drugs or weapons they want. Venezuela needs to improve its prison system or a serious riot could occur.
ReplyDelete-Alex Canan
Wow. 56 guns in a prison is hard to believe. I wonder if any accounts of gun violence had occured within the prison prior to finding these. It would be a good idea for Venezuela to go through all the prisons in the country looking for more guns. Also to clean out the prisons of corrupt guards.
ReplyDelete-T. Griffin