BTN News: Chile announced they will build a second high-security prison. This is part of a new plan to fight organized crime. This decision comes after a wave of violence that killed 16 people in Santiago since the weekend.
President Gabriel Boric shared the news about the new prison. It will hold 500 inmates and cost almost $100 million. The prison will be in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. This area is facing a rise in violent crime linked to organized gangs.
In the next few days, the government will send a proposal to Congress. They want to speed up the building of the new prison. The prison will be watched over by a special team of wardens. Chile is one of the safest countries in Latin America, but people are more worried about safety now. This is because of more violent crimes often involving gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
Boric decided to get tougher on crime after a series of murders in Santiago between Friday and Tuesday. One shooting left five people dead and six hurt during a party outside the capital.
Facing more pressure over rising crime, Boric canceled his trip to the opening of the Paris Olympics on July 26. During his announcement, Boric said that Chile will not let organized crime take over prisons. He said the state will keep control. However, he also said Chile would not follow El Salvador’s example. In El Salvador, thousands of prisoners are kept in a big prison under guard by the military and police. This policy has been criticized by human rights groups.
Chile will improve its intelligence systems, involving the police, prosecutors, and prison staff. They will move staff from office jobs to surveillance roles. Also, 500 new police officers will be sent to Santiago. Although homicides went down by 6% last year, Boric said this is not enough, especially in the metropolitan area. From 2014 to 2023, homicides went up by 60% in Chile. Sexual assaults and violent robberies also increased a lot.
Some lawmakers, both from the opposition and the government, have asked for a state of siege. This would allow the military to patrol the streets and limit public gatherings and home arrests. Senator José Miguel Insulza, a former OAS secretary-general, asked the government to declare a state of siege in the Metropolitan Region. He warned that normalizing crime could lead to a point of no return. The last state of siege in Santiago was in 1986 after an attack on dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Interior and Security Minister Carolina Tohá rejected the state of siege but did not rule out military help in fighting crime.
In short, Chile is taking big steps to deal with rising crime. They are building a new high-security prison and improving law enforcement while avoiding extreme policies seen in other countries.
