Prisons in Honduras house an estimated 12,000 prisoners in Honduras, with a general population of 8 million.[1] There have been a number of massacres, including 69 people killed in a rural prison outside La Ceiba called La Granja (The Farm) in April 2003.[2] On April 26, 2008, 9 people were massacred in a prison located in the center of San Pedro Sula.[3] On May 3, 2008, 18 prisoners were massacred in a prison to the north of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras.[4] Due to problems with street gangs, prisoners are divided into 3 groups: Maras (active gang members), Pesetas (former gang members) and paisas (those who have never been in a gang before their incarceration).
| Penitentiary | Construction materials | Construction year | Population 2013 | Design capacity | Occupancy rates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centro Penal de Yoro | Adobe, wood and tile | 1870 | 191 | 150 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Trujillo | Adobe, brick and lamina | 1890 | 309 | 120 | % | |
| Centro Penal de La Ceiba | Adobe, wood and tile | 1906 | 284 | 100 | % | |
| Centro Penal La Esperanza, Intibucá | Adobe, wood, tile | 1937 | 301 | 100 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Santa Bárbara | Adobe, wood and tile | 1940 | 195 | 70 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Puerto Cortés | Block, brick and tile | 1950 | 153 | 50 | % | |
| Penitencieria Nacional de San Pedro Sula | Adobe. brick and lamina | 1953 | 800 | % | ||
| Centro Penal de Olanchito | Block, brick and lamina | 1961 | 144 | 60 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Puerto Lempira | Block, wood and lamina | 1967 | 61 | 20 | % | |
| P.N. Femenina | Block, concrete, lamina, brick | 1974 | 164 | 200 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Marcala | Block, brick and lamina | 1975 | 123 | 120 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Tela | Block, brick and lamina | 1975 | 123 | 160 | % | |
| Centro Penal de El Progreso | Block, brick and lamina | 1976 | 402 | 120 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Comayagua | Block, concrete, lamina, brick | 1978 | 471 | 240 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Nacaome | Block. concrete, lamina and brick | 1978 | 220 | 120 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Danlí | Block, concrete, lamina, brick | 1980 | 482 | 240 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Santa Rosa de Copán | Block, brick and tile | 1980 | 602 | 240 | % | |
| P. N. de El Porvenir, La Ceiba | Block, concrete, lamina and brick | 1980 | 445 | 240 | % | |
| P.N. de La Paz | Block, concrete, lamina and brick | 1984 | 208 | 120 | % | |
| P.N. Marco Aurelio Soto | Block, concrete, lamina and brick | 1998 | % | |||
| P.N. de Choluteca | Block, concrete, lamina and brick | 2001 | 562 | 800 | % | |
| Centro Penal de Ocotepeque | Block, concrete and brick | 2001 | 158 | 153 | % | |
| P.N. de Gracias, Lempira | Block, concrete, lamina, brick | 2002 | 561 | 600 | % | |
| P.N. de Juticalpa | Block, concrete and lamina | 2007 | 454 | 800 | % | |
| Cárcel de El Pozo | Block, concrete, lamina | 2016 | ||||
| Total / average / median | 1967 average 1976 median | 11,673 total 486 average 293 median | 8,123 total 338 average 152 median | % | ||