In prison in Mexico! Inside the jail in Mexico!

In prison in Mexico! Inside the jail in Mexico!

Hello everyone!

When thinking about the absolute highlights of diplomatic work abroad, one might imagine fancy receptions with champagne in an ambassador's residence or extravagant galas. However, my most exciting and thrilling experience so far was visiting a German inmate in a Mexican prison.

One of the tasks of the German embassy is to assist German nationals in Mexican prisons, if requested. This includes, at irregular - regular intervals, a visit to the respective inmate to inquire about the prison conditions as well as the current status of the proceedings on-site.

Thus, I was not surprised when my trainer informed me about an upcoming prison visit and asked if I would like to take it on. Without hesitation, I agreed, fully aware that I might never have such an exciting experience again.

So, with a little preparation, I headed last week to one of the three prisons in Mexico City. The embassy provided me with a driver, but that was where the manpower ended. I was to conduct the visit and conversation with the inmate alone.

After about an hour of driving out of Mexico City to the south of the metropolis, we finally reached our destination. The prison is located in a mountainous region; the village, with dogs running around wildly, open markets, and countless street vendors, is a far cry from the fact that just an hour ago I was in Polanco (the most expensive neighborhood in the city) at the German embassy.

When we parked the vehicle, it was time to get to work. The uniqueness of at least this prison (whether this is common in Mexico, I cannot say) was that the prison is located right next to the courthouse. This is practical in principle, but since the inmate I visited had a hearing that day, we first had to figure out where he was located.

Past patrolling justice officers (who were well-armed), we initially went into the courthouse, where, after 30 minutes of phone calls and discussions, we were able to find out that the German national was in the prison and not in the courthouse.

After that, we headed to the prison building. First, one enters a large hall, with blue paint peeling off the walls. We were asked the reason for our visit; after showing the visit certificate issued by the embassy, I had to hand over my phone and watch. The embassy driver offered to accompany me, but was not allowed in by the Mexican guards, as only my name was listed on the certificate.

With a bit of a nervous feeling, a prison guard accompanied me to the inmate. First, I received a vest, a visitor pass, and two invisible UV stamps on my hand, which I had to hold in a UV light box at the checkpoints in the prison to verify that I was from the outside world and not, in fact, a disguised inmate (more on that later).

Then we walked through a tunnel approximately 1 km long, out to a courtyard, and then I was at the beginning of the prison block. We passed inmates who were mopping the floor and apparently had cleaning duty, watching me at least with curiosity.

Before the block really began, I found a small administrative office where prison staff were sitting at computers and doing their tasks.

Then I met the German inmate, and a small room with a table and two chairs was provided for our conversation.

I can understandably report little about the contents of the conversation, but the prison conditions described to me were very interesting. He had only been in prison for 10 days, as his trial was still pending, and he was in pre-trial detention.

When I asked how the prison conditions are, he smiled tiredly and replied, “Now that I'm paying many pesos, it's significantly better.” He told me that at first he was in a cell with 4 beds and 8 inmates. 4 sleep in the bed, 4 on the floor without a mattress or blanket. The food is inedible. By now, he is paying a lot of money to share a 2-person cell with two beds and only one other inmate; he also pays for the food and can cook with other inmates. It didn't require much imagination to see that this was an accurate account of the situation.

After the conversation, I headed towards the exit. A strange, relieving feeling accompanied me as I passed the many checkpoints and women on the way into the prison; it was visiting day at the prison, after all.

Of course, how could it be any other way, the prison visit did not end without a little drama: At the last checkpoint - I could already see the prison exit and the driver - I held my hand in the UV box as usual, expecting to pass immediately.

However, the prison guard examined my hand thoroughly, so thoroughly that after about 5 (!) minutes at this checkpoint, I was already expecting to never leave this prison again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he smiled at me and let me pass.

My mood on the way back was hard to define. On the one hand, I was relieved and glad that the prison visit had gone successfully. On the other hand, I had to think about the problematic prison conditions I had been told about and how many inmates may sleep on the floor or in the toilet in an overcrowded cell every night.

One fact I was aware of: that I would never forget such an experience in my life.

In that sense:

See you next time!