Roberto Santana, executive advisor on Security Policy and the Prison System to the Presidency, has once again issued a stark warning about the fractured control over Dominican prisons, revealing that neither the Attorney General’s Office nor the General Directorate of Prisons holds authority over 19 detention centers currently under the control of the National Police and the Army, as reported in El Nacional.
Speaking on the television program D’Agenda with journalist Héctor Herrera Cabral, Santana explained that 12 of the facilities are operated by the military and seven by the police — including La Victoria, a notorious facility he describes as a police-run detention center.
Santana stressed that the country’s prison system is effectively divided into three separate spheres of power: the Army, the Police, and the Attorney General’s Office. In the facilities run by the military or the police, the Attorney General has no jurisdiction. “Even the Director of Prisons, Colonel Roberto Hernández of the National Police, can be denied entry to these prisons by a low-ranking officer unless cleared by a superior,” he revealed.
“This situation underscores the urgent need for the creation of a Ministry of Justice,” Santana argued. “The prison system is scattered, with parts controlled by the military, others by the police, and only a fraction under the Attorney General. Where the AG’s office lacks control, it has no authority at all.”
He also criticized the blurred lines between criminal elements and authority in the country’s traditional prisons. “In those facilities, there’s no clear boundary between the law and criminality. It’s why they must be phased out,” he said, citing a past case where a journalist witnessed an inmate being shot and killed with a pistol that was never recovered.
“These old-model prisons are no-man’s land,” he declared. “They are a disgrace for the nation, its citizens, and its institutions—especially for lawmakers, judges, and public officials who allow this to continue despite being fully aware.”
Santana called it a case of “culpable irresponsibility,” accusing state-paid security agents of colluding with inmates to organize criminal activity from within. “And yet, the state and society turn a blind eye,” he lamented.
During the interview, Santana said that once inmates are moved to the Las Parras facility, the deteriorated La Victoria prison will undergo partial demolition and reconstruction. It will be converted into a small-scale preventive detention center aligned with the country’s New Penitentiary Model.
The proximity of La Victoria to the capital makes it strategically important, he added, noting that Las Parras, located near Bayaguana, is over 70 kilometers from the Ciudad Nueva courthouse.
However, Santana cautioned that the decision to remodel or completely demolish La Victoria will ultimately depend on the financial findings of the Onesvie government assessment. “If repairs cost more than rebuilding, then we’ll tear it down—even if parts of the structure remain intact,” he said.
Santana spoke of the linkages between organized crime and prison control. Addressing concerns over organized crime, Santana warned that transnational criminal networks have long had a presence in the Dominican Republic. He cautioned that if these groups gain control over the prison system, the nation’s governability could collapse.
“To those debating whether international crime exists here—I say clearly, yes, it does. It has for years. The only question is how deep their involvement goes,” he said. Santana urged the public and government to take the issue seriously before the country faces a crisis like those seen in El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, or Guatemala.
“We must act before we find ourselves in the same position as Ecuador, where criminal groups run the prisons and openly challenge state authority,” he warned.
Santana pointed out that in several Latin American countries, public officials—including lawmakers—have ties to organized crime. “Let’s not forget that Pablo Escobar was once a congressman. Let’s not delude ourselves by thinking we’re immune.”
He emphasized that the Dominican Republic is used as a route for international drug trafficking, and that this illicit flow is not orchestrated by “priests or nuns,” but by powerful criminal organizations entrenched in the country’s ports and institutions.
“When organized crime takes over the prisons, it won’t just be a correctional problem—it will be a national security and governance crisis,” he concluded.
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El Nacional
14 July 2025