La Modelo
Encyclopedia
La Modelo is a prison
in Bogotá
, Colombia
. With a population of 11,000 inmates, the facility is known for its violence. The prison's north wing is filled with left-wing rebels while the south wing is filled with right-wing government supporters and paramilitaries
. The area in between these two wings is where many killings in the prison take place. The prison guards do not carry weapons in the prison, although the ones in the guard towers do control rifle
s. Prisoners from both sides easily have access to guns and even grenade
s. Members of FARC
continue to drill in their section of the prison. There are restaurants in the prison and one is sponsored by FARC which provides free food to left-wing rebels.
On April 27, 2000, 25 prisoners were murdered in fighting. After the killings and the publicity it created the government began to change the prison order. Many of the private shops have been shut down and security has been stepped up, although inmates still have access to arms.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. With a population of 11,000 inmates, the facility is known for its violence. The prison's north wing is filled with left-wing rebels while the south wing is filled with right-wing government supporters and paramilitaries
Paramilitarism in Colombia
Paramilitarism in Colombia refers to the origins and activities of far right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia during the 20th century.Right-wing paramilitary groups are the parties considered to be most responsible for human rights violations in Colombia during the later half of the current...
. The area in between these two wings is where many killings in the prison take place. The prison guards do not carry weapons in the prison, although the ones in the guard towers do control rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s. Prisoners from both sides easily have access to guns and even grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s. Members of FARC
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
continue to drill in their section of the prison. There are restaurants in the prison and one is sponsored by FARC which provides free food to left-wing rebels.
On April 27, 2000, 25 prisoners were murdered in fighting. After the killings and the publicity it created the government began to change the prison order. Many of the private shops have been shut down and security has been stepped up, although inmates still have access to arms.