Las Parras is preparing: more than 200 employees undergo tests before the massive transfer of inmates

Santo Domingo.- About 200 people from the administrative and security area have been carrying out “operational checks” for ten days at Las Parras prison, officially called the Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR) La Nueva Victoria, as part of the process prior to the transfer of the first inmates. The Ministry of Housing and Buildings will hand over the facilities to the penitentiary system this week for their commissioning. The information contradicts recent statements by Minister Carlos Bonilla, who claimed that transfers had already begun, which was denied by the source consulted. According to the details offered, the movement of inmates, some 2,400 in this first stage, will take place between this week and next Saturday the 22nd. With the arrival of this first group, the overflight of drones in the area will be prohibited from Friday at 12:00 midnight for security reasons. The transfer would mark the formal beginning of the operation of the controversial mega-prison, whose opening process has been marked by multiple postponements over the years, while overcrowding persists in the old National Penitentiary of La Victoria and in other facilities in the country.

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Las Parras prison is designed to house up to 8,000 inmates, which would allow, in its final stage, the definitive closure of La Victoria. However, in this initial phase, only two of the five quadrants that make up the prison complex will be delivered. This is quadrant 5, which corresponds to the administrative and services area, and quadrant 1, where the inmates from La Victoria will be housed. Although the infrastructure has been ready for months, the official opening of Las Parras has been postponed repeatedly due to operational adjustments, technical tests, and security verifications. The Attorney General’s Office is confident that the start of the transfer will finally materialize this week.