Information Pack for British Prisoners in Bolivia Author British Embassy La Paz Date June 2015
Download 193.36 Kb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Can I work or study in prison
- Can I receive medical and dental treatment
- Can I make telephone calls
- Leisure and entertainment
- How can I make a complaint about mistreatment
- The Bolivian Judicial System
- Is the system the same as the UK
- What should happen when I am arrested
How can I receive money?There are two ways in which you can receive financial assistance while in prison.
Money received from the UK will be converted into local currency and held on your behalf by our Embassy. Our Consular staff will hand your funds to you in their visit. Please note that the Embassy/Consulate does not provide financial support to British Nationals in prison abroad. Can I work or study in prison?Most prisons have workshops (handcrafts, carpentry, bakery, etc.); prisoners who participate in these workshops can sell their products and receive an income. There may also be opportunities within the prison for you to start a business and work independently offering services/products to other inmates. Can I receive medical and dental treatment?If you need medical or dental treatment you should ask to see the prison doctor or dentist. Prison doctors can only provide basic attention and treatment. If you need to see a specialist, the prison’s forensic doctor should issue a report requesting external medical attention. Your lawyer can help taking this request to the judge, who will decide if to approve or refuse the request. Not all medical services are available in the prison hospital and if sent externally you may be asked to cover some medical costs. If you are taken to an external hospital, a police escort will be assigned to you, you may need to use handcuffs or other type of restraints. Food and DietFood provided in prison is basic. Usually consisting of potatoes, rice or noodles with a small portion of protein, usually beef stew or chicken and vegetables. Other food is available for sale inside the prison and inmates run snack shops where you can buy other types of food and beverages. Mail/ParcelsYou can receive letters and parcels from your family through the Embassy. Letters and parcels sent to the Embassy are opened before they are given to prisoners to check for prohibited items. Consular officers will not read the contents. Please bear in mind that parcels sent to Bolivia can be subject to customs inspections and the Embassy cannot claim any parcel retained in customs nor clear any customs fees on your behalf. If you would like your family in the UK or elsewhere to email you, then please let them know that they may do so via our central email box: consular.lapaz@fco.gov.uk. Please ask them to entitle their email with your full name together with the prison where you are detained. Messages from prisoners to their family and friends can only be sent if they can provide the Embassy/Consulate with an email address. The messages will be forwarded to the families in 20 working days. Please be aware that the Embassy will not forward letters from prisoners by post. Can I make telephone calls?According to Bolivian law, inmates are not allowed to own mobile phones, however, some prisons have public pay phones which you can use to make and receive calls. If you need to contact the embassy and cannot access a phone please approach prison authorities or your lawyer, if you send us written communication, our consular staff will reply to your correspondence within our target of 20 working days (excluding postage time). Urgent matters will be prioritised. Please raise any issues with us during consular visits. You should not use a mobile phone to contact Consular Staff and we can only receive calls made from official phones within the prison. All calls should be made to the Embassy switchboard number. You should not communicate with consular staff via social media including “whats app”. Leisure and entertainmentLeisure activities and sports tournaments are organised by the inmates. Some prisons have libraries and workshops and most of them allow you to buy a TV for your room. The Embassy receives book donations and can lend you reading material if you wish. DrugsIf you are caught with any kind of illegal drugs in the prison you will be punished. A disciplinary hearing will determine your punishment which can include isolation and manual labour. Tobacco and cigarettes are allowed inside Bolivian prisons. How can I make a complaint about mistreatment?There is no official complaint procedure in place for mistreatment cases in Bolivia. If you wish to file a complaint please contact the Embassy or let us know during the consular visit so that we take your concerns forward. The Bolivian Judicial SystemThe Embassy cannot interfere with the Bolivian Judicial system. We cannot ask for your case to be judged quickly or ask the authorities to waive any penalties. Below you will find more information about the Bolivian judicial system. Most British citizens detained by the Bolivian police are held under the narcotics Law (Ley 1008). The new narcotics law provides for a minimum sentence of two years imprisonment for the lightest criminal activity related to narcotics, and the maximum penalty of 25 years for trafficking.
Bolivian trials are not trials by jury. Trial procedures for narcotics and non-narcotics cases are fairly similar. If the decision is made to prosecute, the case is handed over to a trial judge for trial. If a decision is made not to prosecute the defendant is freed. The investigative action in both cases can take a number of months. What should happen when I am arrested?Following an arrest, the accused is taken into police custody for a period of 48 hours (in application of Article 97 of Law 1008). However, this period usually ranges from a few hours to one or two weeks. Directory: government -> uploads -> system -> uploads -> attachment data -> file file -> Voluntary and mandatory surrenders 2013 file -> Tensions in Sino-Japanese Relations in 2012 and 2013: Plus ça change? file -> Review of Gaming Machine Stake and Prize Limits file -> E-bulk rb system Test Plan commercial contents file -> Consular section file -> Documents that can be used as proof of address and identity file -> Positive for Youth Discussion Paper June 2011 Capital infrastructure to support services for young people file -> Open Source Software Options for Government Version 0, April 2012 Aim file -> Aviation House 125 Kingsway Download 193.36 Kb. Share with your friends:
|