Ciudad Barrios prison

The Ciudad Barrios prison is a prison in Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel, El Salvador.^[1] Between September 2004 and mid-2015, it exclusively housed members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang.^[2][3][4][5] During this time, El Salvador had a policy of segregating gang members in its prisons; this policy has been reversed.^[2][3][4][5] The Ciudad Barrios prison has been militarized, with both soldiers and police officers serving as prison guards.^[6][7] As of 2012, the prison housed nearly 2,500 prisoners, despite a capacity of 800.^[8] Guards have relatively little control over the prison given a prisoner-to-guard ratio of 50 to one.^[7][9] It is one of the most violent prisons in the country.^[1]