{"id":18753,"date":"2026-11-12T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=18753"},"modified":"2026-11-12T10:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T15:25:36","slug":"crisis-deepened-prison-chief-resigns-amid-police-control-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/crisis-deepened-prison-chief-resigns-amid-police-control-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Crisis Deepened! Prison Chief Resigns Amid Police Control Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Panama prison crisis<\/strong> deepened Tuesday when Chanan Singh resigned as director of the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System<\/a> after just four months in office, publicly criticizing the National Police<\/a>‘s role inside detention facilities while human rights organizations reported<\/a> serious abuses against inmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singh submitted his resignation to Government Minister Dinoska Montalvo after exposing internal disagreements over police presence within prison walls and what he described as failures to meet basic detainee needs. His departure follows the June 1 mass escape of at least 198 prisoners from La Joyita, one of the worst prison breaks in recent Panamanian history, which led to the resignation of his predecessor Jorge Tarragoza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"3840px
Singh submitted his resignation to Government Minister Dinoska Montalvo after exposing internal disagreements over police presence within prison walls and what he described as failures to meet basic detainee needs. Panama – Colon (Old Jail in the 1800) By randreu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Legal Framework Behind the Panama Prison Crisis<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Singh said he had formally requested that police officers leave internal prison areas and concentrate solely on perimeter security, citing Law 55 of 2003 which reorganizes the penitentiary system. That legislation originally divided responsibilities, assigning internal security to prison custodians while police handled exterior surveillance and prisoner transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later laws permit temporary police presence under specific conditions, but Singh argued the current arrangement violates the spirit of the original statute. “I request that the National Police leave the perimeters of the Penitentiary System, the Law says it very clearly,” Singh stated. He added that officers currently occupy pavilion C where 260 unclassified inmates are held. “Nobody knows what happens, I have not even been able to enter that pavilion,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El exdirector del Sistema Penitenciario, Chanan Singh, revel\u00f3 detalles sobre la situaci\u00f3n que se vive dentro de los centros penitenciarios y explic\u00f3 que solicit\u00f3 retirar a las unidades de la Polic\u00eda Nacional de las \u00e1reas internas, para que su labor se concentre en la vigilancia de los per\u00edmetros externos.\n\n#noticias #shok #panama #penal<\/p>— Shok.360 (@shokmultimedia) November 12, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n