Luisito Comunica entered Bukele prison and showed how inmates live: “It paralyzes the blood”

Mexican YouTuber Luisito Comunica recorded a video from inside CECOTthe largest prison in America according to Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador who inaugurated it last year to decompress his country’s prisons.

Luisito remained in the corridor dividing the 32 cells while being observed by thousands of pairs of eyes. He Terrorism containment center -as it was formally called- can accommodate up to 40,000 prisonersmost of them members of dominant gangs in El Salvador, such as Mara Salvatrucha AND The 18th.

The most dangerous criminals in the country are found in CECOT. They serve sentences ranging from 20 years to more than 1,000. everyone who is there or raped, killed or kidnapped or combined some of these crimes.

A scary experience

In his video, which surpassed 5 million views in one day, the YouTuber shows what the process of getting admitted was like, since CECOT does not allow visitors beyond journalists.

First they took all his things and then they also searched his socks. During his journey he was guarded by prison guards.

The moment of greatest fear was experienced when the prisoners’ physical exercise was shown. Inmates leave community cells (an average of 100 people enter each cell) only to have hearings with their lawyers, hear new sentences and exercise. Nothing else.

In the latter case they do it in small groups of five or ten. First they put handcuffs inside the cells and then, when they leave, they put them on their feet. So, handcuffed, they enter a circle of guards to practice without constraints.

“They just gave me a piece of information that managed to have an impact and that was youEven this group alone, behind my back, is most likely directly or indirectly responsible for 200 murders.. What a fact that paralyzes the blood once trained,” says Luisito describing what the inmates do.

“It’s a little terrifying to be just a few meters away from murderers and kidnappers without any kind of protection. This is a somewhat scary experience.”, he concludes.

The conditions of prisoners in the CECOT

CECOT is a maximum security prison, in addition to the reasons already mentioned, due to its extreme precautionary measures.

Before arriving there are seven checkpoints that extend for over a kilometre. In the cells, which the prisoners arrive after being rigorously scanned, there are only metal bunks that they use to sleep and a kind of sink where the food dishes are washed and rinsed.

The lights are on all day so that inmates lose track of time, which is why many rest with their shirts covering their eyes. In addition to the linen, when they enter they give each person a sheet and a towel.

For the most problematic inmates there is a isolation cell which has nothing but a concrete bed, a sink and a toilet. There is only a small hole of light which is not enough to illuminate the place.

Another strategy used by CECOT is to homogenize the prison population. All prisoners are shaved and each cell is inhabited by members of enemy gangs.

Prison guards cover their faces for safety and have a weapons barracks in case a riot breaks out. They walk on a platform designed to monitor prisoners from above and when they are outside there are several checkpoints.

As regards health and nutrition, they have the right to have a nurse give them the pills they need to improve their condition and to eat what other prisoners with shorter sentences from other prisons prepare for them. Most often it is rice or pasta.

Outside the CECOT there are stones that sound when someone steps on them and concrete walls up to 9 meters high along with 3 meter high electrified fences.