Panama prisons understaffed, overcrowded

Panama has 280 prison guards to watch over the 10,600 inmates, a ratio of almost 40 to one. International guidelines recommend a ratio of one guard for every 25 prisoners.
Conditions in the prisons are below approved standards and a new jails have been promised to ease the overcrowding.

Breakouts and escapes are frequent.

Prison Director Diomedes Kaa said he is trying to get the government to hire at least 300 more guards, but the low pay that goes with a demanding the job has made attracting new recruits difficult.

Only 38 people signed up the last time the prison system ran a recruiting campaign.
Kaa said that increasing the salaries is probably the only way to attract more people to the job. But that will depend on the government boosting salaries a move unlikely to be popular with members of the National Assembly, who recently decided to leave their own privileges and benefits almost untouched.