Chile and Argentina tackle prison externalities and phone contraband

In Chile, Senator Juan Luis Castro led a on‑site meeting with Justice Subsecretary Luis Silva, regional justice seremi Arturo Zúñiga, the mayors of Rancagua and Graneros and local community leaders to hear concerns about the impacts of the Rancagua prison and to discuss improvements ahead of the next tender. The officials said the upcoming re‑licensing offers an opportunity to address deficiencies that have affected nearby neighborhoods for two decades.

In Argentina, Governor Alfredo Cornejo addressed a controversy after five inmates from the San Felipe prison appeared on a livestream. He warned that smuggling mobile phones into prisons is easy and called for the national security ministry’s phone‑blocking resolution – currently limited to federal facilities – to be extended to provincial prisons. Cornejo urged the communications regulator Enacom to issue a directive so telecom companies can block devices inside prisons.