Argentina prison watchdog flags overcrowding and detainee rights concerns

Argentina's Penitentiary Prosecutor's Office has raised alarm over overcrowded prisons, deteriorating conditions, and infringements on detainees' rights. The office's annual report, submitted to Congress on May 28, highlights severe overcrowding in Buenos Aires City Police holding cells, where at least 2,339 people are detained in substandard facilities.

Nationwide, the Federal Penitentiary Service reports 12,152 inmates, with 63 percent serving sentences and 37 percent under remand. The prison population has grown by 5.4 percent in 2024 and 3.6 percent in the previous year, adding 516 inmates. The PPN criticizes the lack of updated public data, noting the SPF no longer publishes detailed prison statistics.

They documented 332 cases of mistreatment and 14 violent deaths in custody in 2024. The watchdog received 19,539 complaints about healthcare, work, communication with defense lawyers, overcrowding, and access to justice. They issued six recommendations addressing early expulsion, healthcare rights, work access, health professionals, visit regulations, and body searches.

The report warns of worsening access to work due to the Labour Reform package, which limits detained inmates' working rights. The PPN has intervened in 45 collective habeas corpus cases to improve prison conditions.