The infamous San Pedro prison

Everybody read Marching Powder by Rusty Young based on a British inmate Thomas Macfadden?

On a cloudy afternoon, Gabe and I visited this infamous prison situated in central of La Paz. There use to be guided tours inside the prison however, it became illegal when Marching Powder published in 2009. Till this day, there are still secret tours operating but it's very risky. You'll have to bribe the entrance guards, the prison leaders and pay for trust worthy tour guides and body guards. We found a seat outside the only entrance to the jail and observed the place while imagining the lives of those inside.

This place is one of the most unique prison. It has no bar cells, no inmate outfits and no guards inside the walls. It houses approximately 1500 inmates and their family and kids (who can go freely in and out of the prison). The prisoners range from murderers to drug traffickers. It's basically a community inside with shops, bars, food stalls, salons, hotels and hospitals. There are 8 sectors in this prison. There are rules and laws developed by the inmates which are looked after by leaders of each sector. Prisoners have to buy their own cell. If you have money, you can live like a king and if you don't, you'll have to find work to survive.  There are few cocaine labs inside the prison which the products are smuggled out to make a living for inmates inside. It must be a struggle, living there for years and years, waiting for trial, forgotten by the system, sentence to life in the prison... Watch this video: San Pedro Prison Tour youtube 

The walls of the prison

Single entrance