Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held in a United States federal prison branded a 'hell on earth' by inmates, lawyers, and judges, following his dramatic capture by forces loyal to former US President Donald Trump.
A Notorious Facility: The Metropolitan Detention Center
The nine-story Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York, is where Maduro awaits trial on drug trafficking charges. The facility has a grim reputation for rampant violence, severe understaffing, and 'barbaric' living conditions. It has previously housed other high-profile inmates, including music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Former inmates and legal representatives describe a dangerous environment where a 'vicious cycle' of violence is commonplace. In 2024 alone, two inmates were killed and many more injured in violent clashes. Staff shortages are so acute that guards are frequently absent from housing units, leaving prisoners vulnerable.
A particularly brutal incident occurred in February of last year, when a massive brawl between rival gangs saw one prisoner stabbed 18 times in the back. Nine other inmates suffered stab or slash wounds during the same fight. Federal judges have condemned an 'environment of lawlessness' where gangs operate openly, forcing inmates to align with them for protection.
Squalid Conditions and Extreme Overcrowding
Designed to hold roughly 1,000 detainees, the MDC routinely crams between 1,200 and 1,600 people into its cells, creating a catastrophic overcrowding crisis. Inmates have reported a litany of horrific conditions:
- Broken toilets and backups of raw sewage filtering into cells.
- Brown, contaminated water flowing from taps.
- Mould-infested showers and cockroach infestations.
- Maggots found in prison food.
In a formal complaint, Ghislaine Maxwell wrote of sharing her cell with rodents and enduring the persistent stench of sewage. The facility's infrastructure is failing; in 2019, a week-long power cut during a freezing New York winter left inmates without light or heat.
Lockdowns and 'Nonexistent' Medical Care
To manage violence and staff shortages, prison authorities frequently impose facility-wide lockdowns. These can last for days or even weeks, confining inmates to their cells without access to showers, phone calls, legal visits, or exercise. This practice, described as a form of collective solitary confinement, exacerbates psychological distress and fuels further unrest.
Medical care at the MDC has been slammed as virtually 'nonexistent'. At times, only one or two doctors are available for the entire population of over 1,200. Emergency call buttons in cells are often broken, leading to reports of inmates suffering seizures or heart attacks without timely intervention. Lawyers have also cited cases where cancer diagnoses were botched or fatally delayed.
The detention of President Maduro in such a facility has sparked international controversy and angry protests, highlighting the severe conditions within a key part of the American federal prison system.
