View source for Maracaibo National Prison (Sabaneta Prison)

{{Short description|Former prison in Maracaibo, Venezuela}}
{{Lead extra info|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox prison|prison_name=Maracaibo National Prison|status=Closed|capacity=700|population=3700|populationdate=2013|managed_by=[[Venezuelan Ministry of Prison Services]]|city=[[Maracaibo]], [[Zulia]]|country=[[Venezuela]]|opened=1958|closed=2013}}
The '''Maracaibo National Prison (Sabaneta Prison)''' was a notoriously violent prison in the city of [[Maracaibo]], [[Venezuela]] in the state of [[Zulia]].{{Not verified in body|date=October 2023}}  It was operated by the Ministry of Prison Systems, most recently under minister [[Iris Varela]], from 1958-2013.{{Not verified in body|date=October 2023}}  Typical of a Venezuelan prison, it was severely overcrowded, with inadequate access to medical care, food, and clean water, and violence among prisoners was common.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1997/venez/|title=PUNISHMENT BEFORE TRIAL|website=www.hrw.org|access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/pages/attachments/2015/05/19/amnesty-international_2014_venezuela.pdf|title=Amnesty International Report 2014/2015|website=Amnesty International|access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref> Gangs of inmates had control over the prison, and were led by a "pran" (inmate leader). The prison was closed after 55 years of operation due to government intervention and is now being converted into a museum.{{Not verified in body|date=October 2023}}{{Update inline|date=October 2023|?=yes|reason=Apparently this prison as not been turned into a museum but has had some of its buildings stripped and partly demolished. It may also have been reactivated.}}
== Facilities ==
=== Prison life===
Home of 3,700 inmates, the overcrowded prison was built to occupy 700 prisoners as of 2013.<ref name="BBC:16">{{Cite news |title=Sixteen killed in Venezuela Sabaneta prison violence |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-24135414 |work=BBC News |date=2013-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212182105/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-24135414 |archive-date=2014-12-12 |language=en-GB |url-status=live |access-date=2017-11-07 }}</ref> Of this number, an estimated 192 of them were children of the inmates.<ref name="López">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/venezuela-prison-sabaneta-riot-menagerie|title=Venezuela prison raid reveals inmates' private menagerie |last=López |first=Virginia |date=2013-09-25 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2017-11-07 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926215142/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/venezuela-prison-sabaneta-riot-menagerie |archive-date=2013-09-26 |url-status=live}}</ref> The prison was run by prisoners themselves, following the trend of 80% of Venezuelan prisons which are run by their prisoners.<ref name="BBC:16"/> As the population continued to grow inside Maracaibo National Prison, it far exceeded its intended population.
=== Structure ===
Throughout its construction in 1958, Maracaibo National Prison was split into 4 main areas. The first of which Procemil was formed to house military officers and police agents. Reeducation hosted criminals with light charges. Prison contained a variety of standard prisoners. Maximum housed the criminals with the most serious charges.<ref name="ElUniversal">{{cite news |title=In Sabaneta jail each leader has his own swimming pool |url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/120606/in-sabaneta-jail-each-leader-has-his-own-swimming-pool |work=El Universal (www.eluniversal.com) |date=2012-06-06 |access-date=2017-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118013043/http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/120606/in-sabaneta-jail-each-leader-has-his-own-swimming-pool |archive-date=2018-01-18 |location=Caracas |language=en |url-status=usurped |others=Translated by Conchita Delgado}}</ref>
== Notable incidents ==
=== 1994 Riot and Fire ===
On January 3, 1994, a riot broke out in the prison as a result of ongoing gang activity.  A fire was started by a group of inmates, and then they subsequently shot or stabbed other inmates who tried to escape the fire.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/1994/02/01/prison-massacre-maracaibo|title=Prison Massacre in Maracaibo {{!}}|date=1994-02-01|work=Human Rights Watch|access-date=2017-11-28|language=en}}</ref>  While there is some dispute over the number of casualties and injuries during the incident, many more prisoners were killed when security personnel attempted to take control of the prison, with some sources claiming over 150 casualties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/001/1994/en/|title=Document|website=www.amnesty.org|language=en|access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref>  This riot brought attention to the poor conditions in Venezuelan prisons and is often cited as one of the deadliest prison incidents to date.
=== Other riots ===
Smaller riots also occurred regularly in Maracaibo National Prison, with authorities claiming it to be gang violence among prisoners.  In 2012 it was reported that as few as 8 wardens were on duty at any time, with an additional 32 [[Venezuelan National Guard]] officers patrolling the outside.<ref name="ElUniversal"/>  Due to this lack of security personnel, gang violence was common, with 69 prisoners killed in 2013 alone.<ref name="BBC:16"/>
=== Raids ===
While the governmental control over the prison was weak, raids by government forces frequently yielded massive amounts of weapons and drugs.  One raid even discovered a collection of jungle animals housed in the prison, including a few endangered species.<ref name="López"/>
== Notable inmates ==
'''Mocho Edwin''' was the "pran" in Maracaibo National Prison at the prison's closing. He was first imprisoned in 2006 but was soon after released in 2007. Since then, he was sent to Maracaibo for committing triple homicide. Edwin was known for drug sales and prostitution throughout the prison and connections with the outside world after being seen with [[Iris Varela]].{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}
== In media ==
Maracaibo National Prison is often viewed as a place of terror. With constant gang violence and death, reporters have placed a veil of violence over the prison. Some consider it to be one of the world's most dangerous prisons to live in.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3800088/on-the-inside-venezuelas-most-dangerous-prison/|title=On the Inside: Venezuela's Most Dangerous Prison|last=Benezra|first=Jorge|magazine=Time|date=6 June 2013 |access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref> Local news sources stress the overcrowded nature of the prison and poor living conditions.<ref name="BBC:16"/> It often appeared in sensationalized articles of many dangerous prisons and bloody massacres.
== Closing ==
In 2013 after a riot killing 16 inmates, the Maracaibo National Prison was closed.  There are currently plans to reopen the prison as a museum for citizens to visit the sites of famous massacres and learn about the historical running of corrupt prison systems. It is known that "Mocho Edwin" put up a fight, and refused to leave his kingdom within La Sabaneta upon its closure. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.laverdad.com/sucesos/105455-un-museo-para-los-crimenes-en-la-modelo.html|title=Un museo para los crímenes en La Modelo|last=noticias@laverdad.com|first=Paola Hernández / Maracaibo /|work=Diario La Verdad|access-date=2017-11-28}}</ref>
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== Reopening ==
In August 2023, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory reported that local residents feared the Sabaneta prison had been reopened.<ref name="OVdP">{{cite news |title=Tanto nadar para morir en la orilla: Reabren la cárcel de Sabaneta |trans-title=So much swimming to die on the shore: Sabaneta prison reopens |url=https://oveprisiones.com/tanto-nadar-para-morir-en-la-orilla-reabren-la-carcel-de-sabaneta/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |work=Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones (Venezuelan Prison Observatory) |agency=Prensa Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones (Venezuelan Prison Observatory Press) |date=2023-08-05 |language=es}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Government of Venezuela]]
* [[Iris Varela]]
* [[Yare Prison]]
* [[Yare prison riot|Yare Prison Riot]]
* [[Zulia]]
== References ==
<references />
{{coord missing|Venezuela}}
[[Category:1958 establishments in Venezuela]]
[[Category:2013 disestablishments in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Prisons in Venezuela]]
[[Category:History of Maracaibo]]