s of the severeness of the crime. With two-thirds of Venezuela's population falling below the poverty line, this leads to overcrowding in prisons. The Venezuelan prison system is considered the worst in Latin America. Gang warfare in Venezuelan prisons include all types of guns, including high-powered submachine guns and hand grenades. With low paid guards being routinely bribed, drug and arms trafficking is prevalent. Everyone in Venezuelan prisons must have a knife even if they cannot afford a gun. According to one prisoner, "Here you have to watch your back all the time--no one's your friend." Another man who served 23 years for murder says he lost count of how many inmates he murdered during his sentence just to stay alive. "Its kill or be killed." Most of this violence is because of overcrowding. The violence is directed at other inmates as opposed to the guards. Venezuela has 31 penal institutions with a total capacity to house 15,500 prisoners. The current population is above 25,000. One of the worst is Catia, where 2,100 inmates are squeezed into a building designed for 700. Men sleep on the floor in hallways, in an open-air courtyard and in hammocks. Milk crates and wooden boards supported by buckets serve as beds. With no staff doctors, medicines are brought by relatives. Prisoners with aids are left to die. Of the 25.000 inmates in Venezuelan prisons, 17,000 are still awaiting sentence. Suspects must wait an average of three years before their case comes before a judge. Inmates often serve more jail time before their trial than the maximum sentence for their accused crime. In Haiti prisoners and detainees are held in overcrowded and inadequate facilities. They continue to suffer from a lack of the most basic hygiene facilities as well as inadequate health care, including necessary medical treatment. They must rely on family and friends for food and medicine. Haiti's constit...
