--- title: On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison description: Prisons are Venezuela’s shame: filthy, overcrowded and lawless. Many are run by inmates, who impose a brutal control on the chaos. An exclusive look behind the prison walls by Sebastián Liste. canonical: https://time.com/3800088/on-the-inside-venezuelas-most-dangerous-prison/ author: Jorge Benezra article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-06-06T12:29:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:40:46.357Z article:section: World og:title: On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison og:description: Prisons are Venezuela’s shame: filthy, overcrowded and lawless. Many are run by inmates, who impose a brutal control on the chaos. An exclusive look behind the prison walls by Sebastián Liste. og:url: https://time.com/3800088/on-the-inside-venezuelas-most-dangerous-prison/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf59cd83c5fc2a7e/6987a5b8e20a87a721a87d29/002venezuela_lightbox.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 002venezuela_lightbox og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison twitter:description: Prisons are Venezuela’s shame: filthy, overcrowded and lawless. Many are run by inmates, who impose a brutal control on the chaos. An exclusive look behind the prison walls by Sebastián Liste. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf59cd83c5fc2a7e/6987a5b8e20a87a721a87d29/002venezuela_lightbox.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # On the Inside: Venezuela's Most Dangerous Prison by [Jorge Benezra](/author/jorge-benezra/) ## Jorge Benezra Jun 6, 2013 12:29 PM CUT  A general view of the Vista Hermosa prison. On the left is a mural with the chief of the prison, inmate Wilmer Brizuela. A general view of the Vista Hermosa prison. On the left is a mural with the chief of the prison, inmate Wilmer Brizuela.Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME by [Jorge Benezra](/author/jorge-benezra/) ## Jorge Benezra Jun 6, 2013 12:29 PM CUT His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside. Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death. Vista Hermosa is emblematic of these problems. Built in the 1950s to house 650 inmates, it now houses more than twice that number. As the population grew, clashes between prisoners and guards became common. Rather than improve conditions, prison authorities have allowed them to descend into near chaos. Since Brizuela, a champion boxer, and his gang took control of Vista Hermosa by force in 2005, drug use and violence are still widespread but tightly controlled. “So far we have achieved peace and a minimum of decent human living standards,” Brizuela says. Entering Vista Hermosa during visiting hours feels a bit like stepping into the streets of a bustling slum. There are open-air vendors selling DVDs, medicine and snacks amid the unbearable heat and thumping techno music. There are plazas for dancing and a more formal ballroom for parties. In these areas, visiting women and children walk freely, the iron bars have been removed and the walls are freshly painted. The prison, like any society, has distinct subcultures. There are Christian evangelists, called varones, who live, pray and sing together and work hard to keep their spaces clean. Gay inmates have their own quarters, where they can live without fear of harassment. Vista Hermosa feels like an extreme version of Venezuela itself, in microcosm. Along with the families and celebrations, there is violence and despair. Dozens of addicts, their bodies withered by crack and other drugs, smoke and sleep in rows of hammocks or on piles of trash. Men serving time for sex crimes live in an area far removed from the other inmates. And this society of prisoners has a prison of its own the zone known as La Guerrilla, where gandules, the renegade inmates who have violated Vista Hermosa’s unwritten code, are kept under armed guard. Their inmate-jailers make surveillance rounds night and day armed with pistols, high-caliber revolvers and automatic rifles. Prisons like Vista Hermosa, which Brizuela says generates about $3 million a year in profit from illegal activities and weekly taxes paid to the Pran by the inmates, could not function without the complicity of corrupt officials who allow drugs and weapons inside. Even the Pran fears them. As Brizuela puts it, “The arms are for protecting us from the national guard.” --- **_Jorge Benezra_** _is a journalist based in Venezuela. Follow him on Twitter_ [_@JorgeBenezra_](https://twitter.com/JorgeBenezra "undefined")_._ [**_Sebastián Liste_**](http://www.sebastianliste.com/ "undefined") _is a Brazil-based photographer. In September 2012, he_ [_received the Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography_](http://lightbox.time.com/2012/09/06/getty-awards-80000-to-four-photojournalists-at-perpignan/#1 "undefined") _and the_ _City of Perpignan_ _Rémi Ochlik Award. LightBox previously published Liste’s work documenting_ [_the community living in an abandoned chocolate factory_](http://lightbox.time.com/2012/09/07/the-abandoned-chocolate-factory-by-sebastian-liste/#1 "undefined")_. Follow him on Twitter_ [_@SebastianListe_](https://twitter.com/SebastianListe "undefined")_._ ---  The following photographs were taken at the Vista Hermosa prison in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela in March and April 2013\. Drug users and those who violate the unwritten rules imposed by the inmates who control Vista Hermosa are confined to one area known as La Guerrilla. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  A general view of the Vista Hermosa prison. On the left is a mural with the chief of the prison, inmate Wilmer Brizuela. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Prisoners preparing pipes used to smoke crack cocaine. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Homemade crack pipes made from objects including soda cans, bones and wood. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  A member of the carro, the group of inmates who control the prison, during a routine patrol. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Wilmer "Wilmito" Brizuela teaches another inmate how to box in the prison's gym. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Family visitors during a celebration in the prison. In September 2008, family overnights were instituted as part of the Prison Humanization Plan, which sought to reduce conflict in the prisons and restore inmates' rights. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Bruzuela's daughter celebrates her 15th birthday in the prison. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  All inmates and their families were invited to the party, which had over 2,000 guests. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates gather on the sports fields to sing and rap. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  A child flies a kite in front of a security post of the Bolivarian National Guard, the official agency responsible for ensuring the security of the Venezuelan prisons. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  The wife of a prisoner in his room during a weekend visit. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates sleeping on the rooftop of the prison. The Vista Hermosa prison was built for 650 inmates, but currently holds more than 1400. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates are free to practice their religion in prison. Most prisons have a chapel, and evangelical Christianity has an important role in the criminal population. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  A small cell houses two brothers, with beds, a roof, air conditioning and a television. Such amenities are made available because they have made payments to the leaders of the prison, about $10 each. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  A 9mm pistol and an iPhone 5 that belong to one of the inmates on a couch in the living room of one of the leaders of the prison. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Music can be heard on evenings and weekends in any corner of the prison. Hip-hop and reggae are the most popular genres. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates are forced to sleep on any available space in the prison due to overcrowding. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Portrait of an inmate with scars and tattoos from years in confinement. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Prisoners smoke crack cocaine. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates dance with girls during a weekend visit. In the background, an armed member of the carro keeps watch. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  With his two sons, a prisoner grills meat to sell to other inmates and their visitors. Since the inmates have taken control of the prison, they have the freedom to run their our businesses. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Members of the carro run a routine check in the prison. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Inmates in La Guerrilla. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Prisoners make a blood strike on the roof to demand their transport to the capital city, Caracas. Sebastián Liste—Reportage by Getty for TIME  Gay inmates run the prison laundry and are otherwise confined to their quarters, but don’t fear harassment. Ezekiel, alias Maritza, hopes to be a model one day. 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