More food, less time plan for prison inmates
PLANS to provide more food for prisoners and reduce the prison population, have been put forward by Panama’s Ministry of Government.
On Wednesday, September the Minstry announced the first steps for a program to grow food and reduce the sentences of the inmates who help grow it.
Government officials and representatives of the University of Panama toured La Joya jail to evaluate the suitability of using 300 hectares on the site for farming. “We totally support the project. We will work on a plan to make it a reality so it can provide better food to our prisoners,” said acting Minister of Government Gina de Sossa.
Inmates who participate in this program would receive reduced sentences. To date, few other details have been released.
There are about 10,000 prisoners in La Joya and La Joyita.
La Joya which has a block devoted to housing foreign nationals, has been described in reports as one of the 10 worst prisons in the world.
Recently a foreign prisoner died from lack of medical attention after falling from his bunk:
http://newsroompanama.com/news/panama/dead-prisoner-had-12-hour-wait-for-attention-after-fall Scores of prisoners have languished for years, without trial and there have been recent riots in the foreigner wing.