San Pedro Prison, La Paz

Good Evening Everyone,

 

I'm waiting for Ozell to get back from a hook-up so we can go out to one of the clubs here in Santiago.  I'm actually getting a little worried because he said he would be back in a couple of hours and that was a couple of hours ago.  :(  That is one thing that sucks about not having cell phones on our trip.  When we are apart, there is no way for either of us to contact the other unless it is through computers.

 

Anyways, I have been derelict in my blogging recently and have fallen behind on stories I want to share.  Let's see if I can at least finish up Bolivia with some words about the San Pedro Prison we toured in La Paz....

 

As I mentioned previously, this is not a legal or publicized tour.  This is a real Bolivian prison.  We heard you could take tours from some other travelers who had already been.  The contact for the tour is an inmate, and fellow backpackers have passed his name and cell phone number around.  Yes, he has a cell phone, but don't let that fool you into thinking that this prison is some sort of luxury resort.  We arrived at the prison with about seven other travelers.  When we got to the main gate, we were greeted by the free world-to-inmate ambassador who gave us the rules and explained what was going to happen.  We had heard that you couldn't bring cameras or cell phones, but that turned out to be incorrect.  You were allowed small cameras, but you had to smuggle them in and weren't allowed to take pictures until you were inside the prison because the guards could not know you had cameras on you.  We were also told not to take pictures of people unless they had expressed it was okay.  The ambassador then escorted us through the gate and past the guards.  The guards look the other way concerning us tourists because our 300 Boliviano entrance fee (about $45) was a bribe that was ultimately paid to the guards.

 

We were then taken to a cell and given more rules and advice.  We then were taken into the inside of the prison where the inmates are housed.  The guards do not go in or police inside the prison.  They just make sure the prisoners don't get out.  That is one of the unique aspects about this prison.  It is a self contained community of prisoners.  They have to provide for themselves and police themselves.  We were given two bodyguards for our group.  One of the "head of security" inside the prison.  An amiable enough fellow.  Our tour guide was not the contact person we heard about for this tour.  I believe that guy was showing some other group around at the same time.  Our guide was an middle age Argentinean who had the misfortune of being stopped at a random traffic blockade and searched.  He had only one gram of cocaine on him.  It landed him a spot in this place for an indeterminate amount of time.  He hoped to be out soon.  He was a good humored man and a bit of a philosopher.  I presume that spending time in prison gives a person ample opportunity to ponder life's questions. 

 

Now a little description about the physical set up of the prison.  Again, this was one of the unique features, or at least one that is not what I typically assign to my idea of prisons in America.  The prison is circular and contained within a city block.  The prison was divided into 7 districts (maybe it was 9), and each district was a triangular pie piece of the overall circle.  Our tour took us through 5 of the districts.  The remaining districts were too dangerous and undesirable to visit.  The worst of the criminals are housed there.  It is also where the prison's cocaine is made.  The various districts tend to house similar inmates.  There is the foreigners' district, the youth district, the seniors' district, and the wealthy's district.  The prisoners have to be self sufficient.  They actually have to pay for their cells, food, and everything else.  The more money you have or can earn, the better accommodations you can purchase.  80% of the prisoners are there for drug offences.  The others are for murder, burglary, rape, and various other crimes.  The varying districts also compete in soccer matches on a tiny courtyard.  Good soccer players are actually hired and paid by the wealthier districts. 

 

Again, I want to point out that this is still a prison.  When I say "wealthier", I do not mean to convey that the prisoners are living in posh dwellings or that the prison is nice in any way.  It is dilapidated and rundown.  It smells of urine and trash.  Most of the buildings would be condemned in America.  But the prisoners cells are a little like tiny apartments in that they have doors instead of bars, and they come and go from their cell as they wish.  Ones on the second floor cut holes in the sheet metal roof for mini-sky lights and fresh air.  They also have electricity and cable TV (if you can pay).  Each district has a "salon" which is the pool hall and bar.  Prisoners earn their living by being bakers, barbers, shopkeepers, etc.  It is a self contained community.  If you cause trouble, you are thrown into the "no man's land" and empty space between the outer and the inner walls.  There is no water or shelter.  You are only allowed the clothes on your back.  After a couple of days of isolation, cold, and hunger, even the most bad ass man is usually worn down into submission and respect for others.  This is not to say that fights and other nasty things don't happen.  The prison average four deaths a month.  We were not told how many of those are natural or murders.  After seeing the infirmary, I could believe that many don't make it out of there and probably die of infections.

 

Another huge difference with this prison is that many of the families of the inmates live with the prisoners.  There are plenty of women and children around.  The Chief of Security has his wife and 13 year old son living in their cramped cell.  His wife bakes cakes for sale, and the orange cake she made was delicious.  Ozell and I also bought little knitted key rings from them as a small souvenir.  I think having women and children present is also a calming factor.  I think men are less likely to stab each other if they also know the other guy's family and when there are numerous children running around.  Small children stay inside the prison.  There is even a kindergarten.  Once they reach the first grade, the children leave the prison and go to school on the outside.  The women and children are free to leave the prison at their will.

 

There is so much other stuff to say, but this message is getting me tired again.  So I'll finish up with the end of the tour...

 

The last stop was a prisoner's cell where cocaine was for sale.  It is slightly humorous that most of the guys in the prison are in for drug offences, but yet, the prison makes reputedly the purest cocaine in Bolivia and much of it finds its way back outside and to the public.  This is not a secret.  The guards and government know what is going on.  It is just not talked about.  That was one of the rules.  Ozell and I did not partake of the prison coke.  The rest of our tour group stayed at the prison for a couple extra hours snorting lines and partying up with the inmates.  The coke was not near as cheap as in Peru.  This coke went for about $16 per gram.  I think it is like buying refreshments at the movie theater and the novelty factor.  I mean, even I was thinking it would be a really fucking cool story to tell the grandchildren that I did lines of coke in a Bolivian prison with the inmates!  Seriously, how awesome would that be?   Lol

 

More about Santiago next.  It looks like Ozell was writing a long message to the blog.  I'll see what he wrote.  BTW-  it is the next day from when I started this post and I did see Ozell at the club last night.  He is alive and well.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean