BRIEFS: Penal system

Court orders improvements to prisons

Maydée Romero/LA PRENSA

mandate: The Supreme Court has ordered the prison system to improve conditions at La Joya and La Joyita.1097351

In an unusual decision, the Supreme Court has ordered the prison system to improve conditions in its two largest facilities, La Joya and La Joyita.

The order was made in response to a writ of habeas corpus filed on behalf of some 5,000 inmates housed at the two facilities against Luis Gordon, the director of the prison system.

According to data from prison officials, La Joya and La Joyita house about half of the country's 10,000 inmates.

While prison conditions across the country are hardly ideal, they are particularly execrable in the two largest facilities. La Joya has about 3,000 inmates, while La Joyita houses about 2,000. Both facilities are about 50 percent above their capacity, according to the Defensoría del Pueblo.

Panama has been heavily criticized by international human rights organizations for the condition of its prisons, and La Joya and La Joyita in particular.

The petition to the court cited the fact that the inmates are victims of physical and mental abuse that is fueled by the poor conditions of the facilities. It noted that the conditions lead to very poor hygiene and the potential for the outbreak of disease.

In its decision, the court reminded the government that it is required under the Constitution to respect the rights of inmates, and that it must provide more resources to address the shortcomings of the system.