Since 2012, the infrastructure plan to create new places in prisons has been inactive.
SANTIAGO, CHILE, May 12 (RHC) — The number of people deprived of their liberty in Chile has risen in recent years but prison capacities have not expanded, which can lead to overcrowding, Justice Minister Luis Cordero said on Friday .
As one of the reasons for this expansion, the headline cited the anti-crime agenda adopted in 2016, which eased the imposition of sentences, increased penalties and reduced benefits for the accused.
Cordero stated that there are currently more than 49,500 inmates and that the number could rise to 52,000 in the coming months, which could lead to overcrowding throughout the prison system.
According to the minister, the infrastructure plan to create new places in prisons has been inactive since 2012, leading to a critical situation.
Regarding the decisions the government is taking to deal with the problem, he mentioned that in the short term it is trying to rehabilitate the El Manzano and La Laguna prisons.
In the medium term, work is underway to expand the prisons and the creation of new prison infrastructure is also being considered, he said. (Source:PL)