THERE IS a 100 percent certainty that prisoners in Panama jails have communicated with people outside to coordinate criminal activities says National Prison System Director Gabriel Pinzón.

   He said Tuesday, November 11, that there is a problem with prisoners using illicit Wi Fi to communicate with people outside.
The devices circumvent the cell phone blockers placed in prisons.
In his view, the cell phone blockers are working, but better technology is needed to block the Wi Fi coverage.
He also said that an investigation has cleared all police officers who were investigated for allegedly smuggling cell phones into the prison.
In a search Oct. 28 in La Joya Prison, authorities found 193 cell phones that were hidden in the walls and buried in the ground.
According to Pinzón, this shows the creativity of the inmates and the high incidence of communications that occur from prisons to the outside.
The presence of firearms and drugs inside prisons is also a concern. He said gangs are competing for control of the facilities to organize their criminal activities.
He admitted that there are also problems of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions which need to be addressed.