La Joyita Prison

{{Short description|Prison in Pacora, Panama}}

La Joyita Prison is a prison in Pacora,{{cite web|url=http://www.thepanamadigest.com/2010/06/new-jewel-property-ready-for-development|title=New Jewel Property Ready for Development|publisher= June 10, 2010}} Panama. The facility is overcrowded{{cite web|url=http://www.newsroompanama.com/panama/1682-prisoners-moved-from-comfort-to-overcrowding.html |title=Prisoners moved from comfort to overcrowding |work=Newsroom Panama |publisher=14 September 2010 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130129230634/http://www.newsroompanama.com/panama/1682-prisoners-moved-from-comfort-to-overcrowding.html |archivedate=29 January 2013 |url-status=dead }} and has been repeatedly accused of systematic abuses against its population.{{cite book|last=Woods|first=Sarah|title=Panama, 2nd edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knrvSpkURO4C&pg=PA65|accessdate=11 December 2012|date=2009-11-24|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781841622606|page=65}}La Joya Prison Riot, 19 Injured - http://www.thepanamadigest.com/2011/09/la-joya-prison-riot-19-injured/

Problems at the prison have been water being available only for part of the day.{{cite book|last=Bergner|first=Jeffrey T.|title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008: Vols. I and II: Joint Committee Print, U. S. House of Representatives and U. S. Senate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NqIkQz68_fgC&pg=PA2827|accessdate=11 December 2012|date=2008-08-01|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=9781437905229|page=2827}} In September 2013, the government minister, Jorge Ricardo Fabrega, said 5,500 inmates from La Joya and La Joyita would be transferred, starting in January 2014, to the new La Joya Prison located in Pacora.5500 Inmates Will Be Transferred To The New La Joya Prison published on September 02 2013. http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20130902230439617

On December 17, 2019 a gunfight erupted inside La Joyita. 15 inmates were killed when a split in the street gang Bagdad occurred. Prisoners wielding assault rifles and handguns executed one another in the worst inter-prison violence in the nation's history. The La Joya, La Joyita, Nueva Joya complex continues to degrade into basic concentration camp status. Panama has yet to have implemented any lasting prison reforms. AP News Report on Panama Prisoner Gun Battlehttps://apnews.com/4e4baa0bcc80e48ef3829ef977679cad

On February 3, 2020, convicted prisoner Gilberto Ventura Ceballos escaped from La Joyita Prison. The government offered a US $50,000 reward for his recapture. He got recaptured on February 13, 2020.[https://www.prensa.com/judiciales/a-50-mil-dolares-se-incrementa-la-recompensa-por-la-informacion-sobre-ventura-ceballos/ A $50 mil se incrementa la recompensa por la información sobre Gilberto Ventura Ceballos {in lang|es}] La Prensa (Panama), 5 Feb 2020, retrieved 8 Feb 2020