Venezuelan prisons report inmate deaths due to health crises

Venezuelan prisons overcrowding health crisis bacterial meningitis human rights

The Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) has reported the deaths of two inmates due to severe health conditions in the El Rodeo II and El Rodeo IV detention centers in Miranda state.

In El Rodeo II, Jhonney Alexis Martínez Cordero died from bacterial meningitis. The OVP noted that this facility, originally designed for 500 inmates, currently houses over 1,000 people, representing a 100% overcrowding rate. The organization warned that such conditions facilitate the spread of transmissible diseases.

In El Rodeo IV, Anthony Alejandro Quintero Galindo passed away due to complications from HIV, syphilis, and chronic diarrheal syndrome. The OVP has called on the Ministry of Penitentiary Service to clarify which sanitary protocols were applied and to investigate potential omissions in medical care. The organization is demanding an epidemiological evaluation of the country's prison system to ensure prevention, diagnosis, and timely treatment for those in custody.