RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In Latin American prisons, the danger for inmates is becoming increasingly acute due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2. Central America is now also affected, where there are almost a thousand prisoners infected.
The peak is yet to come, observers say, because most of the region’s prisons are overcrowded and social distancing is impossible.
Latin American countries have suspended or restricted prison visits. Overcrowding ranges from 30 percent in the case of Costa Rica, the only country without Covid-19 in prisons, to over 200 percent in Honduras.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is calling for a reform of the judicial system, as one of the causes of overcrowding is the excessive application of pre-trial detention.
In addition, according to IACHR President Arosemena de Troitiño, practical ways of reducing prison time, including house arrest or ankle bracelets, should be examined. The drama in prisons is not a short-term issue, but rather a systemic problem that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Colombia has been particularly hard hit, with over half of the inmates in a number of prisons infected. The Villavicencio penitentiary is one of the main centers of the pandemic in the country, with 867 prisoners infected out of 1,654.
According to authorities, those infected are to receive better care and new infections should be monitored. This is to protect those who are not affected within the prison. There are only four doctors for all prisoners.
In Cartagena, 241 infected prisoners are reported. According to the health department, 798 tests were performed, those infected are isolated and risk groups are identified. Washing hands and wearing masks is mandatory.
With respect to Central America, the IACHR chairwoman criticizes that “the prison structures do not allow for the minimal sanitary measures”. The commission considers the situation of prisons to be “critical”, particularly in Panama, where inmates are “disproportionately affected” by Covid-19 caused by the coronavirus.
Mass tests are currently being performed. According to official figures, there are more than 25,290 infections and at least 680 deaths from Covid-19 in Central America. Panama is the most affected country with 320 deaths and 12,131 confirmed cases.
According to authorities in El Salvador, 142 inmates in four of the 25 prisons are infected and at least four prison guards. Among those infected are 33 inmates of a psychiatric ward. According to De Troitiño, prisons are 900 percent overcrowded.
Honduran authorities have reported 30 prisoners infected with Covid-19.
In Guatemala, there are four prisoners with Covid-19, two women and two men, in three prisons in the country to date. In total, there are 26,160 prisoners, of whom 52 percent are serving a sentence and 48 percent are in pre-trial detention. According to authorities, infected prisoners are to be transferred to a prison in the capital.
There are no official figures on Covid-19 infections in Nicaragua’s prisons. According to reports from relatives, some 38 to 45 inmates are said to have been infected. Prisoners have reported between four and six deaths due to the pandemic. A number of prisoners were released because they exhibited symptoms.