Chile extends high-security regime to four prisons to combat organised crime from inside prison
Deputy Justice Secretary Luis Silva supervised the implementation of the system in La Serena, where 43 inmates—including 30 members of Tren de Aragua—are already subject to the new strict confinement rules.
Chile extends high-security regime to four prisons to combat organised crime from inside prison
The Chilean government expanded a reinforced custody system to four correctional facilities, establishing severe conditions for inmates such as fire-resistant clothing, solitary confinement and visits without the possibility of physical contact with family members. Deputy Justice Secretary Luis Silva led the activation in La Serena, where 43 persons deprived of liberty—30 of them belonging to Tren de Aragua—are already subject to these measures.
According to Publimicro, the initiative began in 2025 in the capital prison and in the facilities in Alto Hospicio and Concepción. The incorporation of La Serena seeks to standardise procedures and dismantle criminal structures operating from behind prison walls.
The regulations in force in this programme require that inmates return to their cells at 21:45, move about in handcuffs and be monitored with portable GoPro cameras. The placement is reviewed every six months. Those whom the top head of the National Gendarmerie, Rubén Pérez, orders to enter are subjected to specific inspections at two, three and four months.
It is anticipated that the Alto Hospicio and La Laguna complexes, in Talca, will be the next to join, though deployment will be slow due to the investment required. Silva announced that changes are being analysed regarding regulations on postal shipments and the use of cash, as well as the drafting of new separation rules according to crime typologies.
The official stated that the aspiration is for prisons to cease being the vulnerable point in the battle against criminal syndicates, preventing those serving sentences from continuing to commit crimes from inside.
Source: Google News CL — Crime