Justice in Baja : Probe Ordered Into Corruption at Prison

Baja California Gov. Ernesto Ruffo Appel has directed state authorities to conduct a wide-ranging investigation of persistent reports of corruption and other irregularities at the state penitentiary in Tijuana, authorities say.

The prison warden, Miguel Perez Boulirat, went on indefinite leave this week pending the results of the inquiry, said Ignacio Mora Ibarra, a gubernatorial spokesman in Mexicali, the state capital.

The warden’s departure, the spokesman said, was standard procedure and should not reflect negatively on him. Perez is a retired Mexican Army major who says he was appointed to the post 16 months ago because of his reputation for honesty.

The prison, in Tijuana’s La Mesa district, is home to 2,500 convicted and suspected criminals, most serving time for violent crimes, robberies and drug-related offenses. Sharing the space with them are 1,500 or so relatives--often the wives and children of inmates--who have traditionally been permitted to move into the two-square-block prison in an unusual arrangement.

Prisoners routinely buy and sell dwellings, a system that ensures that more affluent convicts obtain the best accommodation. Inmates also purchase food, clothing and other goods from inmate-operated shops on the grounds. It is alleged that inmates also are able to purchase alcohol, drugs, weapons and other contraband on the facility’s thriving black market.

In the past year, extensive publicity in the Mexican and international press has focused unprecedented attention on the prison. Mexican authorities have called for reforms, apparently leading to the governor’s decision to order the inquiry.