Comments on: How Gangs Took Over Prisons

By: James James

James James — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 15:22:34 +0000

It’s still not clear why drugs and violence haven’t been eliminated in prisons.

I can think of reasons, but not good reasons. It shouldn’t be hard.

By: Bert E.

Bert E. — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 22:07:59 +0000

That article almost makes a virtue out of the gangs organizing themselves on the inside.

Does not mention the drugs, the murders, prostitution, gambling, extortion that is also part and parcel of the gang problem in the prisons.

Much more dangerous inside the prison than on the outside. You have the concentrated amount of thugs all in one spot.

Gangs are a very major internal security threat to the U.S. Have that degree of weapons, money, organization, numbers, ruthlessness to be a real threat. Have been for some time. In case of widespread civil disorder the gang will become the governmental elite so to speak.

By: Toddy Cat

Toddy Cat — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:30:26 +0000

How do you say “Escape from New York” in Spanish?

By: AAB

AAB — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:01:05 +0000

There's a prison in Venezuela which is run by prisoners. The national guard patrol outside of the prison grounds:

His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside. Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons.