Murder in Tucumán police station triggers transfer of 16 inmates to Benjamín Paz
Sixteen convicted inmates housed in police stations of the Eastern Regional Unit were transferred to the Benjamín Paz Prison Complex following the homicide of a detainee at Police Station VI in San Miguel de Tucumán.
Mass transfer of convicted inmates following homicide with screwdriver in police cell
Sixteen convicted inmates housed in police stations and facilities of the Eastern Regional Unit (URE) were transferred on Saturday morning to the Benjamín Paz Prison Complex, reported tendenciadenoticias.com.ar. The operation was carried out just days after the murder of an inmate within Police Station VI of San Miguel de Tucumán.
Juan Andrés López, 24 years old, was found injured in the detention area of that facility, located on España at number 1700. López was serving a sentence for sexual abuse and simple robbery. Officers on duty heard screams, entered the cell, and found him with wounds to the thorax. He was transported in a police vehicle to Avellaneda Hospital, where he died despite attempts to save him.
Armando Espeche, head of Zone II of the Capital Regional Unit, explained that initial investigations indicate that the wounds were caused by a screwdriver. Another detainee, identified by the surname Condorí, was identified as the principal suspect. He had been admitted shortly before on a charge of aggravated threats. The exact circumstances and criminal responsibilities are the subject of an ongoing investigation.
Saturday's operation
Director General of the Prison Service, Antonio Quinteros, specified the scope of the transfer: "Following the instructions of the governor and the security minister regarding the reassignment of police personnel so that they dedicate themselves exclusively to prevention duties, this Saturday the Police transferred sixteen inmates". The convicted individuals came from different police stations of the URE, including the Criminal Investigation and Complex Crimes Unit East.
The director of the Benjamín Paz Complex, Raúl Melián, noted that the inmates first entered through document control and would subsequently be distributed among the different units according to their cases and procedural situations. They will also be informed of the rules, rights and obligations corresponding to the closed regime.
The head of the Eastern Regional Unit, police general commissioner Carlos Ruíz, indicated that the procedure was carried out once all administrative and legal requirements established by the Prison Service had been fulfilled.
Security operation
The transfer involved the Eastern Infantry Guard, the Motorised Patrol Division, the Tucumán Motorised Operations Directorate and the Special Rescue and Operations Corps (CERO), as well as personnel in charge of documentation for each inmate.
The underlying problem
The provincial government maintains that the transfers are aimed at decompressing the cells of police stations, housing convicted individuals in prison facilities and freeing police officers from custody duties to assign them to prevention tasks. López's homicide once again exposed the risks involved in keeping individuals with final sentences in facilities originally designed for temporary detentions.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz