The Colombian prison institute was ordered to award a former inmate approximately $55,000 to compensate for inhumane conditions while he was imprisoned.
Public Defender
The victory for Molina, who was in prison from September 1997 to December 2000, could have a greater affect than simply receiving money from INPEC. Newspaper Semana quoted Gomez saying that because of this ruling, “130,000 motivated prisoners could be eligible to bring lawsuits against the State.” The lawsuit has therefore called more attention to Colombia’s Penal System and its need for potential adjustment.
This is not the first time that Colombia has been criticized for its current prison system. In September multicultural newspaper The Prisma reported that Colombia’s prisoners were subjected to more than just overcrowding but also extreme violence and disease. The newspaper allegedly obtained information from a Colombian human rights lawyer and the Legal Brigade Foundation ( who promote the rights of prisoners.
According to the article, prisoners “leave behind their dignity” when they enter the prison, allegedly enduring broken glass in food, being thrown out of windows and other forms of violence while incarcerated. The Prisma claimed that abuse is so severe that it sometimes “results in death or suicide” for prisoners.
Inmates all over the country also went on a hunger strike in August to protest the intolerable overcrowding of prisons.