Visiting the Prison in Ayacucho

Here is a guest blog from Moyra that started off as an email.  We though you might find this interesting.


Went to the Prison today - very interesting.
Got 4 stamps on my arm - going thru every door, 
walked right thru the male population - super safe..
and no cat calls even......women's area - they hang
out in a huge courtyard doing laundry, sewing, knitting,
etc.  Every Thur they have conjugal visits so I saw a few
pregnant ladies, also about 4 babies and 3 kids - they
get to live with mom till they are 3. Also, there was a 
cat named Pedro.  Our new friend Amanda has been going to the Women's prison for years now, first as a volunteer and now to teach 
them to make jewelry.. and then she sells them for the
ladies and gives them the $$.   We stayed for over 2
hours - watched them make some cool earrings 
and bracelets -  and even got to go with one of the 
women to see her cell..........9 of them in there - cell
doors wide open (get locked in at 8:30pm for the night) 
They had curtains, tv, clocks, lots of personal items 
they buy with the money they make.  It was a very
eye-opening experience..... they had scissors and knitting
needles, and matches.....lots of freedoms - except for the 
ultimate freedom.  180 women - 80% for "drug trafficking"
But some caught unfairly - others just married to drug dealers
and they get the same sentence - often 8-15 years- no time
off for good behaviour - no parole.


A few more details from me (Carrie), the cells were very small, there were 4 bunks on the bottom, 4 on the top and the most recent arrival sleeps on the floor. There is a toilet of some kind behind a door against the wall of the cell. The women can pay to build wooden bunks or sleep on the concrete ones built in.  They wear their own clothes, must buy and cook their own food, and do their own laundry which hangs dry in the courtyard. The prison is rather cold, not much sun gets in. There is also a shower in the courtyard. Because the men are not far away and because many of the women's partners/husbands are incarcerated as well we heard men yelling a certain name and the woman could go to the gate and talk. It was a very interesting morning. As the guards let us out each of the doors I felt lucky having the ability to leave and go back out into the sun.