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La Mesa State Penitentiary is a prison in La Mesa, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It is considered "one of the most notorious prisons in Latin America". The prison was built for 2,000 inmates and had 2,500 inmates in the 1990s, but the number increased to over 7,000 by the 2010s. Prisoners have committed offenses ranging from theft to murder.

Some prison guards were reported to have taken bribes in exchange for releasing prisoners or offering better conditions.

Sister Antonia Brenner, a Catholic nun, voluntarily lived with the inmates of La Mesa Prison for over thirty years, and was called "La mama" or the "Prison Angel". She lived in a 10-by-10 cell.

In 2002, police demolished a luxury condominium for bribe-paying inmates inside the prison. At that time, the most dangerous inmates were transferred to a new facility near Tecate.

Incidents

In April 1990, a drug raid by Federal Judicial Police officers resulted in the death of one man.

In September 2008, there were two riots. The September 13 riot, in which 3 inmates were killed, was caused by upset over the death of an inmate in a prison search for drugs and weapons. The September 18 riot, which killed 19 and injured 12, was caused by frustration of the inmates not being given any water since the first riot.

Notable inmates

• Chalino Sánchez was incarcerated at the prison in 1984 on a variety of petty crimes. While in prison, he composed songs telling the stories of fellow inmates.
• Andrew Tahmooressi was incarcerated at the prison in 2014 after illegally bringing guns from the U.S. to Mexico.

References

1. Jordan, Mary (March 25, 2002). "In Mexico, Justice at a Price". The Washington Post.
2. Kahn, Carrie (February 6, 2014). "Tijuana Prisoner: I Was Forced To Dig Drug Tunnel To San Diego". WBUR-FM.
3. "Mexico's La Mesa Penitentiary: An Experiment in Humanity". Office of Justice Programs. 1995.
4. ROTELLA, SEBASTIAN (March 27, 1994). "Doing Time in Tijuana : In La Mesa Penitentiary, Prisoners Live With Their Families, Rich Inmates Control the Real Estate and Everything--Even Guns and Drugs--Has a Price". Los Angeles Times.
5. "I'll take you inside La Mesa prison in Tijuana". San Diego Reader. June 25, 1992.
6. Marosi, Richard (October 17, 2013). "Sister Antonia Brenner dies at 86; nun moved into Tijuana prison to tend to inmates". Los Angeles Times.
7. Hammond, Jody (October 11, 2023). "Opinion: This nun lived in a Tijuana prison by choice". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
8. "Bulldozers bring prison reform". The Week. January 8, 2015.
9. O’CONNOR, ANNE-MARIE (September 16, 2002). "Infamous Prison City Torn Down". Los Angeles Times.
10. "Swift shake-up at notorious Tijuana prison". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. August 21, 2002.
11. "PRISON CONDITIONS IN MEXICO" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. March 8, 1991.
12. "Mexican jail riot leaves 19 dead". BBC News. 18 September 2008.
13. "Police kill 19 inmates in Mexico prison riot". NBC News. September 18, 2008.
14. Torres, Blanca (February 10, 2022). "'Idolo': Why Singer Chalino Sánchez Is Still a Legend 30 Years After His Unsolved Murder". KQED-FM.
15. DIBBLE, SANDRA (May 9, 2014). "Marine vet moved from Tijuana's La Mesa prison". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
16. Valencia, Nick; Morris, Jason; Yan, Holly (May 30, 2014). "U.S. Marine tells of abuse in Mexican prison, but says he's still hopeful". CNN.

32°30′23″N 116°58′10″W / 32.50639°N 116.96944°W / 32.50639; -116.96944

• 2008 in Mexico
• 2008 riots
• Buildings and structures in Tijuana
• History of Baja California
• Prison riots in Mexico
• Prisons in Mexico