Inside San Pedro: Potential Lessons from La Paz's Infamous Prison

“You do know that San Pedro is a prison” our Uber driver called out shortly after we got into his car.  We weren’t really sure how to respond.  We could play it off cool like of course we knew that.  We could ask him to repeat himself hoping that we just heard him wrong.  Instead, he asked where we were going.  “A walking tour”’ we replied. This was received with a smile from the driver.  “Ah, you’re going to Plaza Sucre”, he responded.  Whatever you say, we thought, but just don’t bring us to a prison.  Wait, a prison we thought.  What’s that about?.  

After our walking tour started, we learned that indeed one of the buildings facing Plaza Sucre (and us for that matter) is Bolivia's largest prison.  Yes, the country’s largest prison occupies an entire block and, although originally built to hold 600 prisoners, is home to 3000+ prisons.  Welcome to San Pedro Prison!

Home primarily to those awaiting trial on drug charges, San Pedro is for the most part managed and governed by the prisoners.  There are guards, for sure, but they’re really just focused on keeping the prisoners in jail, stopping riots and supervising who comes and goes from the jail.  It’s the prisoners that handle the rest.  

Within the walls of San Pedro, there are communities.  There are eight in fact: Posta, Pinos, Alamos, San Martin, Prefectura, Palmar, Guanay and Cancha.  Each community is responsible for governing itself.  This includes maintenance of their community, assessing fees to its prisoners (we’ll come back to this one) and maintaining/administering its budget.  There are elected roles in each community that include: representative, treasurer, discipline secretary, culture and education secretary, sports secretary, and health secretary. Discipline secretary is responsible for resolving disputes within the community.  It's not the guards or warden, but the prisoners that shoulder this responsibility.

Okay, cool, so this is different, but it can have some positive, post-jail outcomes we thought.  What else?  Well, new inmates are assigned prison cells based on how much they can afford.  That’s right, prisoners must pay monthly rent and lease their cells. Their ability to pay determines where they lay their heads each night and with how many other prisoners.  Those that don’t have the means can find themselves with 6-8 other cell mates.  While those with the means live in cells with private bathrooms, a kitchen, and cable television  One inmate even had a second floor extension built. 

Some prisoners had the means already before being imprisoned to afford these monthly rent payments.  Others that don't have the means must resort to finding ways to make the money on the inside.  This could include being a messenger, shop owner, hair stylist, and/or restaurant owner.  It could also include selling drugs to the outside world.  Watch out for falling bricks if you’re passing by on the outside!

Finally, prison tourism used to be a way for inmates to make money.  That’s right, tourists could come in for tours of the prison as guests of the prisoner, spend the night and even party with them.  It was one listed in the travel book Lonely Planet as something to do in La Paz.  Our tour guide advised us that is no longer allowed or published in new editions.

We also found it interesting that the families of prisoners can live with the incarcerated prisoner.  That’s right, you’ll find children leaving San Pedro in the morning to go to school and returning at the end of the day.  Family members can come and go as they wish.  

Why does the prison system and government allow this?  Well, there are several reasons. The first outcome is that it puts less stress on the family unit by allowing them to remain together.  There are also skills that one develops by being a part of and managing a community versus leaving it to the prison system.  There are, however, some negatives reasons that contribute to this laissez-faire approach, including: prison overcrowding, corruption, inadequate prison funding, political instability, etc.  

With time behind us and time to think about it, we could simply laugh off San Pedro as being something that takes places only in a third-world country.  Of course it happens this way, it’s Bolivia.  Or we can challenge ourselves to take some, not all, of the ways these prisons are managed and question the way we do things at home.  Is there benefit to keeping the family united?  Do prisoners learn skills by self-governing?  Does it provide them the skills to be better members of society on the other side of those walls?