Colombian Jails Like This? Inmate had $173K Cash, Plasma TV, Guns, Fridge,,,

ietk says on Jun 4, 2008, 04:26:

Yes some of the inmates in Colombian jails have amenities like this if not more, some have A/C in hot cities like Barranquilla, they also have private showers, arm bodyguards, some of them even leave the jail at night or weekends I said this because I knew someone with money of course because without it you will be sleeping on the floor and that person went home most of the weekends, just take a look at this video.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jN_hY8qpDgQ

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Mononoke28 says on Jun 4, 2008, 08:55:

One of my cousins' cousin was in jail in Medellín for three years and he had everything, T.V., cell phone, exercise equipment, microwave, all kinds of stuff. From what I heard he charged others a fee for them to use his stuff.

Diana

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miamimike says on Jun 4, 2008, 12:54:

JetK-Wow, interesting Video.That guy Carlos is the Mayor no doubt!

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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juancegomez says on Jun 4, 2008, 13:09:

It varies a lot more than what this video (would like to see some dates and locations named though....what prison was this?) -or even the strictly unrelated Brazilian story- implies, depending on the jail or cell block (some are worse than others, and there is also such a thing as house arrest), its security level (some are higher than others), the person, the degree of corruption (not universal all across the board), the specific charges, sentences and other stuff that hasn't really come up in this discussion.

So to say that "Colombian jails" are all like this, like the headline says and the video's presentation (on the website) sensationally implies, is quite misleading, even though it's certainly true that some people do have such benefits and luxuries. But that is hardly the norm, and there are in fact individuals who suffer from the opposite: they are mistreated while in jail.

I remember more than one story, publicized or otherwise, about individuals who were in a rather cushy jail, at some point, but got sent to a much harsher place. Wonder how many videos of that are available.

On the other hand, one thing that the video does point out is the fact that some Colombian prisons do not have enough staff, let alone sufficient guards, and that criminal groups can unfortunately use their power and influence to gain benefits for themselves and create a parallel order through intimidation and corruption, but that doesn't mean the average inmate is going to enjoy some untold luxury or what have you.

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Catfish35 says on Jun 4, 2008, 14:24:

You would be surprised with what prisoners end up having in U.S, jails. Thanks to hot plates, you can walk through some of the general population dormitory style houses in some Fed places and smell the ethnicity. The Mexicans will be cooking their food, the Italians there stuff and so on, they even make wine in there. I was inside a Mexican prison just outside of Mazatlan some years back and the guy we were interested in talking to was a higher up narcotraffi, he has his own little hut with his own cooks (fellow inmates), shower, TV..so on..
But back to the states....I always thought it would be funny or actually waited to see somebody come out of prison and write their first book..albeit ...a cookbook " The Hot Plate Chef" or something like that. Can't say much about Colombian prisons, never been in one and hope never to be...my days of law enforcement are long over...

"So many guns, and so few brains". sam spade

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Jun 4, 2008, 14:38:

Someone has written that cookbook, and I own it.

http://www.rodalestore.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?ca...

;-)

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ietk says on Jun 5, 2008, 04:52:

juancegomez; in Colombia or if you have the money you can pretty much "own" the jail, not every single inmate is capable of having so many things, the video was in a Bogota jail and showed different kind of inmates, Guerrillas they have absolute control of their side of the building, the Paras they also control their side, the ones with money and the unlucky ones that have no money at all, did you watch the whole video, and another thing is if you really have money and good last name you don't even see a jail house.

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juancegomez says on Jun 5, 2008, 11:22:

jetk: I'd invite you to re-read what I typed above, since I pointed out several issues that still apply to your response, one way or another, and they remain entirely unaddressed.

And once again, there are examples, publicized and otherwise, that would at the very least force a reevaluation of the generalization that money alone is the solution in each and every case, even if it's still a factor worth considering.

It's easy to formulate such a conclusion, as "common knowledge" as it sounds, but it doesn't explain what happens in other cases, where individuals who aren't dirt poor have, in fact, ended up in jail and do not automatically receive those luxuries. Do you really need a list or what? Could come up with one, but honestly..what would be the point?

Yes, money can matter, but not by default nor by itself, nor is that the only factor. Political or criminal power, like the video shows and I already mentioned, is another variable that can't be tossed aside, as well as how much corruption is present, and everything doesn't always come together, surprisingly enough.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jun 5, 2008, 14:57:

I used to be offended by the idea of extraditing Colombian criminals to the USA but this kind of corruption is certainly a good case for it.

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