San Pedro Prision

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Firstly I must apologise if some of the details in this blog seem vague and slightly hazy, but it way by the request of many of the people we met inside the prison that they remain anonymous. The photos here are also only from the outside.
This is also a much backdated blog due to the fact that we have been in some non internet accessible places. We actually went to the prison on the 11th of August.

Getting Inside

It was the day we arrived back from Huayna Potosi and we were in the pub celebrating with a large meal and a few pints, it was in this slightly tipsy state that the three of started talking about the prison and that we wanted to see it, up close and personal like.

The prison used to be open to tourists who were shown around by some of the inmates, but we found out that this had been stopped and now no tourists were aloud in. So we couldn’t just walk up to the front gate and pop in.

Thought one way or another we managed to get a meeting with the director of Bolivian prisons later that day. After being lead all over several of there official buildings we finally got this meeting and managed to persuade him that he should let us view the prison the next day. Most of the persuasion was done by Zander who for one spoke Spanish and secondly said that he was looking at writing a paper.

So the next day we collected the official letter and made our way to the entrance of the prison. Here at first we were turned away and told that we needed to get in contact with one of the prisoners inside to arrange for him to meet us. Luckily we had this telephone number and contacted our insider and arranged for him to meet us by the gate. Going up to the main entrance again the guards looked for a long time at the letter and our passports. All this while the inmates were peering through the gate only two meters away and jeering us with Spanish and English threats. At Length they agreed to let us in.

We left our bag in one of the dodge police quarters and got stamped to go in. We were then led down a small side ally and roughly and thou rally searched before we were led into the "nice section of the prison" where we met our contact who would show us around.

About the Prison

This Prison is unique in the world, here the prisoners hold the keys to there cells, the guards don’t venture inside, the Prisoners run business inside, there families are aloud to come and stay, they have to pay for everything meals and housing.

So you’ve been arrested with cocaine on your person and are destine to go to San Pedro Prison without trial, unless you can bribe the police man that’s arrested you. If not you have a choice if you pay $400 US dollars you can go to the nice section of the prison, if not you’ll go to the overcrowded bas section of the prison, where you stand little change of getting bye. Managing to pay the money you are placed in the nicer section, but here you don’t have a room as these have to be bought, you have no food as that to needs to be bought, and you know no one.

It’s a scary situation to be put in, one that most people there went thought. The prison is divided into two parts one nicer part which takes up about a sixth of the jail and has around 100 inmates in it, then there is the other part which makes up the rest of the jail and houses nearly 1500 inmates or so we were told. The Prison itself sits quite unassumingly on the edge of one of the plazas in the middle of the city and its only when you look closely at it that you realise its a jail .
Once we were in the nicer side of the prison we felt alot safer than out were the guards were, even though we were around large drug traffickers and murderers. Most of the people inside are there because of drug related offences. We stepped into a large open courtyard about the size of a basket ball court, here the guard left us. Looking around we could see small shops and restaurants, as well as people sitting around talking.

We went up to one of the small restaurants which also had a pool table. Here we sat for hours just listening to the accounts of our "guide". It was a fascinating experience listening to his stories. He told us about how it was hard for foreigners to live in the prison, as most of the locals had families that could give them money to buy food and a room. But the foreign prisoners didn’t have this support so had to try and get by as best they could.

We were told that there we certain unwritten rules in the prison. Mainly that rapists and child harmers were not tolerated and sometimes hazed severely as they entered the prison. As families lived there was created a safe environment of respect.

We were shown up to one of the bedrooms which were like a flat with several people living different rooms over two stories. The flat was well kited out with a TV, kitchen, bathroom, computer, fish tank and many more luxuries that could be found at home. From the top window we could look out the window and over the wall only 3 meters away, peering out of the window it was easy to see that there was no guard watching it as the towers were empty. I asked the guy if escaping had ever come to his mind, "once or twice, but this isn’t hard like some of the other prisons i´ve been to, I can live nearly happily hear."
Once inside the prison it’s easy to forget that you’re amongst criminals as the life there seems like a normal life that would occur outside the jail. It really is just like a small village comunity.
Ian

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Photos

The now front gate
The small entrence gate teamed with guards and prisioners were hanging onto the metal bars.

Side view
The small guard tower up there, Empty. The one on the far corner, Empty.