In the Dominican Republic, thousands of inmates are living in severely overcrowded prisons, with some facilities operating at seven times their capacity. Over 60% of the country’s inmates are held under preventive detention without charges, some for up to 20 years. The conditions in these prisons are inhumane, with lack of medical care and overcrowded cells leading to health problems. A recent fire in La Victoria National Penitentiary killed 11 inmates, highlighting the dangerous conditions within the prison system.
Despite promises to improve the system, critics argue that the Dominican Republic continues to push for pretrial detentions and has made few changes to address the problems within the prisons. The government has appointed a commission to overhaul the prison system, but many activists believe that government corruption is hindering progress. Furthermore, inmates are sometimes kept in prison even when legally released, due to paperwork backlogs or fines they are unable to pay.
The National Commission of Human Rights has called for the closure of overcrowded prisons and a focus on rehabilitation, as the current conditions make it impossible to effectively rehabilitate inmates. There are plans to build new prisons to alleviate overcrowding, but concerns remain about the government’s commitment to improving the situation. The issue of pretrial detentions without charges and the lack of medical care and proper living conditions in Dominican prisons continue to pose significant challenges to the criminal justice system in the country.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
