EL SALVADOR: PRISON GANG INITIATIVE GAINS MOMENTUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 000153 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2018 TAGS: ES KCRM PREL SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: PRISON GANG INITIATIVE GAINS MOMENTUM Classified By: Charge Butler for reaasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Summary: INL/CIVPOL assistance has notably improved security at the prison where El Salvador's most dangerous transnational street gang members are incarcerated, and fomented a renewed emphasis on professionalism within the leadership of the Salvadoran prison system. Given the successes achieved to date, the INL/CIVPOL El Salvador prison gang initiative should serve as a model for expanded regional assistance. See action request para. six. End summary. ¶2. (C) Transnational street gang activity radiating out of the prison system is a major problem for the government of El Salvador (GOES). Incarcerated street gang members routinely use smuggled cellular telephones to orchestrate criminal activity in both El Salvador and the U.S., including known instances of assassination. Contraband smuggled into Salvadoran prisons, including drugs, weapons, and tools, assist gang members in their efforts to ecruit and control other prisoners, to intimidat guards, and to mount escape attempts. In respose to this growing threat, the Salvadoran correcional system (DGCP in Spanish) is transferring the most dangerous transnational street gang members o a newly-constructed maximum security prison atIzalco (a small town 45 minutes due west of San alvador). The DGCP has already transferred rougly 200 M-18 gang members to Izalco, and has plans to transfer several hundred more there in the near future. The DGCP hopes that the new prison facility, coupled with enhanced staff training, implementation of internationally-recognized corrections practices, and improved gang intelligence collection, will allow the GOES to contain the transnational street gang threat originating in Salvadoran prisons. ¶3. (U) INL/CIVPOL assistance has proven to be a key enabler of Salvadoran efforts at Izalco. The INL Senior Corrections Advisor (SCA) drafted a program plan of action in August 2007, and, in subsequent visits to El Salvador, has worked closely with the Director of the DGCP to implement recommended changes in policy and procedure. In addition to coordinating with DGCP leadership, the INL SCA has also conducted extensive practical training, advising, and mentoring with DGCP wardens and staff at Izalco prison. In cooperation with the Embassy San Salvador INL officer, the SCA took a DGCP delegation (including the DGCP director and the warden of Izalco) to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they toured several state prisons, heard briefings from the state Secretary of Corrections and his staff, received copies of SIPDIS New Mexico corrections manuals, and observed first-hand the sort of corrections practices necessary to improve security in Salvadoran prisons. Following the New Mexico visit, the DGCP Director and Inspector General personally drafted new prison administration procedures based on the practices they observed (and the manuals they received) while in Santa Fe. The visit also laid the groundwork for a pending interagency agreement between INL and the state of New Mexico, which, when finalized, will allow DGCP officials to attend the New Mexico Corrections Training Academy in Santa Fe on a no-cost basis. ¶4. (C) The training at Izalco, coupled with the visit to New Mexico, have yielded notable improvement in security conditions at Izalco. The staff at Izalco has implemented rigorous procedures governing the movement and tracking of prisoners within the cell blocks, as well as practical methods for controlling the distribution of keys, weapons, tools, and other dangerous implements. These new procedures, coupled with already stringent search protocols for visitors and staff, have made it extremely difficult for transnational street gang members incarcerated at Izalco to access contraband such as cell phones and weapons. This in turn has given the GOES a secure facility which they can use to isolate key street gang leaders from the rest of the prison population. Future INL/CIVPOL efforts will include training (and equipment provision) for the Izalco emergency stabilization team, implementation of audit and control systems, and enhanced gang intelligence training and coordination. The DGCP Director has indicated his intention to implement the "Izalco model" in all Salvadoran prisons in the near to mid-term. He will also ensure that any information about gang activities collected within the prison system is quickly shared with the newly-established Transnational Anti-Gang Unit (a joint National Civilian Police-FBI undertaking) and other appropriate law enforcement authorities. ¶5. (C) In addition to the technical benefits discussed above, INL's efforts have helped to foment improved overall anti-gang coordination with the GOES. The INL Senior Corrections Advisor's work with the Director of DGCP has come to the attention of Vice Minister of Public Security and Justice Astor Escalante, who in turn has taken a personal interest in the progress at Izalco and in the Salvadoran prison system writ large. In a recent meeting with the INL SCA and mission INL officer, Vice Minister Escalante expressed an interest in seeing the INL prison gang initiative expanded to Guatemala and Honduras, and stated his willingness to promote regional cooperation on prison gang issues via SICA (the Central American Regional Integration System),as well as Salvadoran bilateral diplomatic and law enforcement channels. ¶6. (U) Comment and Action Request: INL's efforts have resulted in notable improvements on the ground at Izalco, as well as greater professionalism within the ranks of the DGCP leadership. As noted above, progress in El Salvador also has the potential to serve as the foundation for enhanced regional efforts to curb transnational criminal activity originating in Central American prisons. In light of the notable progress to date, we ask that INL reprogram additional funds to the El Salvador prison gang initiative, as well as give serious consideration to utilizing San Salvador as the hub for an expanded INL/CIVPOL Central American prison gang initiative. End comment and action request. BUTLER