An Atypical Prison

I don't know whether Lurigancho Prison is a typical Peruvian prison, but I know it is very unlike any American prison of which I am aware. Basically, the inmates run the prison and at least one section is run as a democracy by the inmates. There is an excellent description of this world in an article in Harper's, "All Politics Is Local", by Daniel Alarcon. It has not yet been posted on the Harper's web site.

Lurigancho is the largest prison in Peru; there are 7,400 inmates and only about 74 guards. All the guards do is "secure the gate to the prison". The inmates do not wear uniforms; there is no roll call, lock-down or lights-out. The prison is like a small city, with richer and poorer neighborhoods, each run by a boss. There is even a prisoner-run market, where an inmate can buy soap, batteries, popsicle, etc. - and drugs. The prison administration delivers two meals a day to the prison gates. The inmates handle everything else, including maintenance, discipline and recreation. 

Most of the article is about the democratic neighborhood. All residents of this neighborhood are international drug traffickers. Alarcon writes about the election to select neighborhood leaders. The process is very open, quite democratic and fully accepted by the inmates. A world apart from my understanding of prisons.