In El Salvador, Old Lin is able to run his jail like a fiefdom, because it has been reserved exclusively for members of the 18th Street Gang. A raid on a prison in Acapulco, Mexico, a few years ago discovered that inmates had managed to “smuggle in” one hundred fighting cocks, nineteen prostitutes, and two peacocks. In another Mexican prison, prisoners were found raffling off a luxury cell that they had equipped with air-conditioning, a fridge, and a DVD player. Allowing gangs to run jails in this way makes for a quiet life for prison wardens, but it greatly strengthens the criminals. If a
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