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1/5/12– A prison brawl in Altamira, Tamaulipas led to the deaths of 31 inmates and left 13 injured on January 4. The fight allegedly took place between inmate members of the Zeta and Gulf cartels, which continue to battle over control over the Tamaulipas area. An anonymous source has told ABC Español that the brawl began “apparently as a result of a dispute over control of illegal activities within the prison.” Inmates utilized homemade weapons in the dispute, including makeshift knives, clubs, and stones, reported the Washington Post. Those injured in the brawl are currently being questioned, which has led to the detention of 13 suspects so far.

The Altamira prison allegedly has the capacity to hold 2,000 inmates, but is currently housing upwards of 3,000 prisoners, many of whom are being held for drug related chargers. Prison overcrowding has been an issue in Mexico for years. In October 2011, nearly 550 prisoners were transferred from Baja California prisons to the Islas Marías to relieve overcrowding in federal penitentiaries. Also in 2011, 37 inmates were moved from a Guanajuato state prison in October, while 126 were transferred in August, and 700 in June, all to the Islas Marías prison colony. Read more about prison overcrowding and the resulting inmate fighting and said prisoner transfers here. Since the recent Tamaulipas dispute, the Altamira penal authorities have been accused of secrecy, not allowing clear methods of communication between the jail and those outside the prison.

According to the AFP, there have been 53 deaths due to prison brawls in the past three months. Prison riots in Tamaulipas in October 2011 also resulted in the death of 20 inmates.


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A sure cure for prison over-crowding. Ingenius. Schedule one each week....or more when needed.

And coming in at number "uno" for wolds worst prision... Mexico ain't got shit on these folks...

1. Gitarama Prison, Rwanda Africa

Gitarama has the most overcrowded prison in the world housing over 6000 prisoners in a building design for only 500 people. Lack of food has Inmates so hungary that they bite chunks of meat out of each other to survive. The jail is so congested that inmates have no option but to stand all day and all night and many suffer from rotting feet. The floor is moist and filled with raw feces. Gangrene slowly sets on inmates toes, they turn black and fall off later. Inmates that are not so lucky to only have toes fall off, doctors have no choice but to amputate lower limbs to save the persons life. The unbearable stench is so horrible that it can be noticed a half mile away upon arriving to the prison. The survival rate is low due to the violence and the diminishing conditions in the building where one in eight prisoners will die from disease or violence. We have Gitarama prison at # 1 because when entering this prison you are already left for the dead.