Venezuelan prison deaths reach 8,192 over 15 years

The Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) reports that 8,192 inmates have died over the last 15 years under the management of the Ministry for Penitentiary Service. The data spans the administrations of several ministers, including Iris Varela, Mirelys Contreras, Celsa Bautista, and Julio García Zerpa.

The OVP argues that the primary issue within the prison system is not the number of inmates or the existence of facilities, but rather systemic mismanagement. While the elevation of penitentiary matters to a ministry was intended to provide administrative and financial autonomy to protect human rights, the organization notes that bureaucracy has increased while detention conditions have steadily deteriorated.

The observatory highlighted that constitutional mandates for inmate rehabilitation and international standards, such as the Mandela Rules, remain unfulfilled. Specifically, the OVP cited failures in providing adequate food, medical care, and dignified living conditions. The organization called for specialized, qualified personnel to lead the system to prevent further improvisation and structural failures.