On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison
透視：委內瑞拉至惡監牢
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| Drug users and those who violate the unwritten rules imposed by the inmates who control Vista Hermosa are confined to one area known as La Guerrilla. 吸毒犯和違反監獄遊戲規則的囚犯，皆由掌控Vista Hermosa監獄的頭號犯人看管，監禁在La Guerrilla區。 |
His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside.
他的名字是Wilmer Brizuela，朋友都叫他Wilmito；但對於Vista Hermosa的囚犯來說，他就是統領委內瑞拉一座惡名昭彰的監獄，無人質疑。監獄牆外，國家警察例行巡邏；監獄牆內，囚犯們過活或死去，處在一個隔絕的世界。Brizuela偶爾會讓記者進監獄參觀數小時，但在今年初，唯獨攝影記者Sebastián Liste 和我能夠整整待了一週以上，讓我們看見最真實的面貌，一如牆外世界的倒影。
Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death.
Brizuela因綁架被判10年徒刑，也因謀殺多了16年刑期。但他深信，他所掌控的Vista Hermosa(美麗景色)，也就是位在玻利瓦爾州、關著1400囚犯的監獄，遠比委內瑞拉政府所管的要有人性。那些政府管轄的監獄，經常受到國際人權團體的批評，不是過擠、就是生活環境差，還有貪污腐敗的問題；幫派互毆十分猖獗。根據委內瑞拉監獄的瞭望人員，去年有591名死於鬥毆。在前總統查維茲強人的統治下，專門報導與撻伐委內瑞拉對犯人差勁待遇的人士，常被暴力恐嚇、威脅。而這些狀況，在查維茲死後，仍未改善。
他的名字是Wilmer Brizuela，朋友都叫他Wilmito；但對於Vista Hermosa的囚犯來說，他就是統領委內瑞拉一座惡名昭彰的監獄，無人質疑。監獄牆外，國家警察例行巡邏；監獄牆內，囚犯們過活或死去，處在一個隔絕的世界。Brizuela偶爾會讓記者進監獄參觀數小時，但在今年初，唯獨攝影記者Sebastián Liste 和我能夠整整待了一週以上，讓我們看見最真實的面貌，一如牆外世界的倒影。
Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death.
Brizuela因綁架被判10年徒刑，也因謀殺多了16年刑期。但他深信，他所掌控的Vista Hermosa(美麗景色)，也就是位在玻利瓦爾州、關著1400囚犯的監獄，遠比委內瑞拉政府所管的要有人性。那些政府管轄的監獄，經常受到國際人權團體的批評，不是過擠、就是生活環境差，還有貪污腐敗的問題；幫派互毆十分猖獗。根據委內瑞拉監獄的瞭望人員，去年有591名死於鬥毆。在前總統查維茲強人的統治下，專門報導與撻伐委內瑞拉對犯人差勁待遇的人士，常被暴力恐嚇、威脅。而這些狀況，在查維茲死後，仍未改善。
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