In the Mass Escape at La Joyita Prison Two Dead and Several Injured as Confirmed by the Minister of the Interior
Minister of the Interior, Dinoska Montalvo pictured below. Montalvo explained that the deaths occurred in the pavilions before the police intervened.
A prison relocation operation at La Joyita triggered riots, vandalism, and a mass escape that forced the deployment of ground and air forces in East Panama. The number of inmates killed has risen to two, with multiple injuries and the destruction of various areas of the prison, as a preliminary toll of the mass escape staged this Monday at the La Joyita Penitentiary Center, reported the Minister of Government Dinoska Montalvo. “The two people who have died at this time unfortunately left the pavilions before the police had even entered,” the minister explained.
Following a Mass Escape at La Joyita Prison, More than 80 Inmates have been Recaptured
A mass escape of inmates occurred on the afternoon of Monday, June 1, at the La Joyita penitentiary, an event that prompted a large deployment of police and security units in different sectors of the country. Later, the Minister of Government, Dinoska Montalvo pictured below, confirmed that there were two deceased inmates.
The escape occurred during a process of redistributing inmates at the prison.
Riot, Deaths and Escape: More Than 80 Inmates Escaped From La Joyita
What began as a routine prisoner transfer operation ended up becoming one of the most chaotic days ever recorded in the Panamanian prison system. The incident left at least two inmates dead, eight wounded, and three police officers injured. Amid the riot, dozens of prisoners took advantage of the chaos to escape the facility. The escape was massive. What’s difficult to explain is how a group of at least 80 people managed to leave the prison undetected. That’s a number of people equivalent to the maximum occupancy of a Metrobús.
Panama City, Panama: On Monday afternoon, June 1, La Joyita Penitentiary once again broke its own record of crises. What began as an inmate reclassification operation ended in a riot, with explosions, chaos inside the cellblocks, at least two inmates dead, several injured, including police officers, and a mass escape that forced the deployment of a nationwide recapture operation. Although authorities claim the situation is under control, the episode reopens an uncomfortable question that Panama has been grappling with for over a decade: who really controls La Joyita?
A Prison that Operates on the Edge
The La Joyita prison complex, located in Pacora, has been the epicenter of the country’s prison crisis for years. Designed to house just over 2,800 people, La Joyita held a population exceeding 4,700 in 2025, according to official data, representing an overcrowding rate of nearly 165%. In that context, any internal movement—transfers, searches, or relocations—can trigger tension.
That is precisely what happened yesterday, June 1st. According to official reports, the trigger was an operation to redistribute more than 80 inmates within the prison, which resulted in resistance from organized groups. Within minutes, the authorities lost control of the prison.
The preliminary tally: two dead, several wounded and at least 48 recaptured, and an undetermined number still managed to leave the perimeter. Videos circulating on social media showed inmates moving between courtyards, covering their faces, and confronting security personnel. Among the inmates, few wore the standard prison uniform: the yellow sweater; others wore clothing that was not in compliance with regulations.
The Ministry of Security activated joint operations with the National Police and the National Border Service (Senafront) to contain the situation. Crowd control officers and ground patrols were deployed around Pacora, as were drones. Several hours later, authorities claimed to have recaptured most of the escapees and restored internal order. However, the exact number of escapees and fugitives has not been officially confirmed.
The Historical Constant: Recurring Leaks
Although Monday’s event is the most recent and one of the largest in terms of the number of people involved, it is not an isolated case. Over the last decade, La Joyita has been the scene of multiple incidents that expose flaws in the system:
- 2015: Escape of six convicts convicted of homicide, robbery and drug trafficking from pavilion 7.
- 2016: Escape of the convicted Gilberto Ventura Ceballos, later recaptured in Costa Rica.
- 2019: Escape of three inmates during carnival, in an episode of internal distraction, all linked to homicides.
- 2019 (December): massacre inside the prison with 15 dead, reflecting loss of internal control.
- 2020: Gilberto Ventura escapes again, but is later recaptured.
- Between 2023 and 2025 there have been escape attempts or riots that have also put the prison system in the spotlight of criticism.
- 2026 (June): Mass escape of more than 48 inmates.
Each of these episodes has left the same trail: investigations, promises of reform, and eventually, the next incident.
A System Under Constant Pressure
Criminology and prison security specialists have repeatedly pointed out that La Joyita operates under three critical conditions:
- Chronic overcrowding
- Internal control fragmented by gangs
- Vulnerability in transfers and custody
Escapes are not always isolated events, but rather the result of weakened internal structures where formal control competes with informal power systems within the prison, and which have also generated investigations into corruption of officials from the National Police and the Penitentiary System, attached to the Ministry of the Interior.
The Questions that Return with Each Escape
Following this latest event, the questions are repeated almost identically to those of previous years:
- How does a riot organization operate within a maximum security prison?
- What went wrong with the security protocol for the transfer and classification of inmates?
- How many officials are being investigated for omissions or complicity?
- Why do the reforms announced after each crisis fail to prevent the next one?
So far, the authorities have not responded. And beyond the numbers, the country is once again facing a persistent reality: its main prison has repeatedly become the scene where the state loses control… and then tries to regain it. Below is video from the Panama Police.
https://twitter.com/policiadepanama/status/2061799613242224925/video/1
If the URL above is not working, you can try the URL below.
