Tacumbú prison facts for kids
Tacumbú is a neighborhood in Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay. It's well-known for the large prison also called "Tacumbú." This area also has a famous hill, Tacumbú Hill. Many streets in Asunción and nearby areas were paved using rocks taken from this hill. Tacumbú is a working-class neighborhood, located only about five minutes' drive from Asunción's city center.
Tacumbú Prison
The Tacumbú prison first opened in 1956. It was built to hold about 800 prisoners, but its capacity was soon increased to 1,500 people. By 2020, however, it was home to 4,231 inmates. Many people even had to sleep outside on the ground because there wasn't enough space inside.
Managing the Prison
In 2019, the prison director, Jorge Fernández, shared some facts about the prison. He mentioned that only about 40 to 43 guards were in charge of around 4,000 prisoners. He believed that at least 100 guards would be needed to manage the situation properly.
He also explained that about 75% of the people in the prison were still waiting for their trial. This means they had not yet been found guilty of any crime. Only about 25% of the inmates had already been convicted.
Visitors and Challenges
In Paraguay, people can visit prisons four days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This means that as many as 7,000 visitors might be inside the prison at the same time. With so many people and limited staff, managing the prison can be very challenging. There have been serious conflicts and safety issues reported, including clashes between different groups within the prison. These situations highlight the difficulties of keeping order in such a crowded environment.
Documentary Feature
The British journalist Raphael Rowe visited Tacumbú prison for a documentary. He featured it in the first episode of the fourth season of the show Inside the World's Toughest Prisons. He called the episode "Paraguay: The Most Dangerous Prison on Earth."
See also
In Spanish: Penitenciaría Nacional de Tacumbú para niños
