Overcrowding and cruel treatment continues in many of the prisons in the Dominican Republic, according to the just released report of the Public Defender’s Office. The 293-page report looks into detention and prison conditions in 2022. The report again mentions the large number of prisoners with physical and mental health problems in addition to overcrowding in prison.
Valentin Santos, director of the Public Defender’s Office, says the report findings are alarming in the violating of fundamental rights due to the cruel and inhuman treatment and degrading situation of the inmates. The report reveals that 70% of the inmates are in overcrowded conditions.
The report looked into conditions at the 22 jails that operate with the new jail model and 19 prisons that have not been renovated. The jail population is 25,711 when prisons have capacity for 15,643. The La Victoria prison is the most overcrowded, with 30% of the inmates in the country. The Danilo Medina administration spent around RD$5 billion to build a new jail to relocate the inmates from the La Victoria, but legal issues and completion of the jail have impeded the transfer.
The Public Defender’s Office document states that most of the inmates with health problems are left to die in the jails due to the indifference of the judges in charge of the execution of their sentences.
Among the prisoners, 415 have psychiatric health problems, 729 have diabetes, 1,489 have heart disease, 384 have HIV-AIDS, 186 suffer from tuberculosis, 62 have hepatitis, 595 have syphilis among other chronic diseases.
The prisons also house 107 prisoners with mobility disabilities and 205 with visual disabilities, among other ailments.
The report contrasts with the recent rulings of judges that have sent accused with billions in would-be corruption to domiciliary arrest after 18 months in custody as their cases are heard in court.
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El Dia
N Digital
13 April 2023