Palmasola

Not to be confused with Palma Sola.

Centro de Rehabilitación Santa Cruz "Palmasola" is a maximum security prison in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It is Bolivia's largest prison and holds about 3,500 prisoners. Like many prisons in Latin America, guards exhibit minimal control over what happens within the prison, leading it to being described as a "prison town". Guards instead concentrate only on securing the perimeter of the facility. According to former inmates, almost anything can be obtained in the prison, and businesses operate inside the prison to supply weapons and drugs.[1] Prisoners of Palmasola have created an organization called the Disciplina Interna to oversee some affairs.[2]

Under Bolivian law, children under the age of six may live in a prison with their parent. As such, Palmasola is home to a number of children.[3] The United Nations has criticized the policy. Four out of five prisoners in Palmasola are awaiting trial.[1] On May 11, 2012, ABC News – Nightline featured a story about American businessman Jacob Ostreicher who was held in Palmasola for 11 months without a trial.[4]

Pope Francis visited the prison on July 10, 2015 during his papal visit to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay .[5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Im Labyrinth der Unordnung". Der Spiegel. December 5, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  3. ^ "Bolivia's Prison Children". BBC News. November 16, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  4. ^ "American Sits Almost a Year With No Charges in Isolated Bolivian Prison". ABC News – Nightline. May 11, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  5. ^ [1][dead link]