The Executive has declared the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) and the National Penitentiary System (SNP) in emergency for a period of two years, in order to address the serious crisis that affects the country’s prisons.
The measure was made official today through Supreme Decree No. 014-2024-JUS, published in the official newspaper El Peruano, and seeks to address prison overpopulation and the poor infrastructure of penitentiary centers.
The emergency declaration, signed by President Dina Boluarte, the President of the Council of Ministers Gustavo Adrianzén and the Minister of Justice Eduardo Arana, responds to the critical situation of the penitentiary system, which as of August 2024 houses 98,127 people deprived of liberty, despite having an installed capacity of only 41,556. This deficit has generated an overpopulation of 136%, which further aggravates overcrowding conditions and the lack of basic services.
According to the Supreme Decree, the Ministry of Justice must approve, within a period of 45 days, a Penitentiary Emergency Sector Strategy to optimize the resocialization of inmates and guarantee the implementation of the National Penitentiary Policy until 2030.
The document also highlights that, despite the efforts, only 50.2% of the prison population is in establishments with adequate infrastructure and service conditions.
In this context, the Constitutional Court had issued a ruling in 2014 declaring overcrowding and severe deficiencies in the facilities of the penitentiary system unconstitutional. The court urged the Ministry of Justice to evaluate and implement substantial measures to overcome this structural problem.
