NCJ Number
153584
Journal
American Jails Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Dated: (January/February 1995) Pages: 101-103,105
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Peruvian correctional system, which is highly unitary and centralized.
Abstract
Peru does not distinguish between prisons and jails. It does have some local police-run lockups, but these tend to be small facilities in remote areas; these are used primarily for short- term holding. There is no form of pretrial release. Once arrested, all defendants are held until trial, which takes an average of 6 years. Seventy-five percent of Peru's inmate population consists of unconvicted defendants awaiting trial. Although Peru's constitution requires that inmates awaiting trial be treated separately from, and better than, convicted inmates, prison crowding and lack of resources prevent a useful system of classification. With the minor exception of the police lockups, there is essentially only one jurisdiction. Local staff report to their prison director, who reports to a regional office, which reports to the central office of the National Institute of Penology in Lima. The central office is organized along functional lines of command. The reality of imprisonment is "warehousing," but the ideology is rehabilitation. This article briefly describes Chorrillos women's prison, which is one of five prisons that house the 7 percent of Peru's inmates who are women. Nine interviewees for this article are listed.