Tijuana's Prison City: A City Governed By Criminals

The mini city within Tijuana's infamous La Mesa State Penitentiary included wood-sided townhomes, shops, and courtyards.

1 minute read

September 17, 2002, 8:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"In the absence of a strong authority over the years, prisoners set many of the rules. They built as many as 400 houses, some with microwaves, computers, DVD players and air conditioning. There were maids, cooks and bodyguards. There were stores, pizza parlors, tequila bars and video emporiums."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 in The Los Angeles Times

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