Pope Francis to Visit Bolivia’s Most Dangerous Prison
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, July 9 (UPI) — Pope Francis will visit the Palmasola Rehabilitation Center, Bolivia’s most violent prison where guards only secure the outside perimeter, as part of his three-nation South American tour.
The prison is notoriously crowded and violent. Francis will spend about an hour visiting the 5,000 inmates in Palmasola, located in Santa Cruz — Bolivia’s most populated city.
Accused drug dealers, rapists and murderers are being held in Palmasola, where there are no guards within its walls and where there is an apparent lucrative criminal economy. About 90 percent of Bolivia’s 12,000 prisoners are awaiting trial.
There is a pavilion for women and children to visit inmates. Some families live within the prison’s walls.
In 2013, violence between inmates in Palmasola left at least 31 dead, including a 2-year-old child. Inmates in Palmasola who do not have enough money sleep on the floor.
Visiting prisons is a tradition Francis has kept since he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The pope arrived in Bolivia on Wednesday after visiting Ecuador. He will head to Paraguay next.
Inmates have been preparing for the pope’s visit by creating a walkway made of rocks, cleaning the prison walls and clearing huge piles of garbage. Prisoners have assured Francis will be safe.
Francis’ South American tour is the first time the Argentine-born pope will visit three nations in a single trip.
Francis will visit Cuba in September and then the United States for nearly a week. He will tour and give speeches at stops in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia.
Like Us on Facebook for more stories from GephardtDaily.com
