If..Else Log

BBC News has a photo featurette on San Pedro prison, the city within prison walls.

Once you pass the thick walls and the security gates, any resemblance to a normal jail disappears: there are children playing, market stalls, restaurants, hairdressers and even a hotel

Cells are rented (with differing costs and levels of quality¹) and there's a thriving economy as people work to pay off their rent and pay for luxuries. As Tyler Cowen would say, "markets in everything".

1. In the "posh" areas, the cells are not only more spacious but also have private bathrooms, kitchen and cable TV. [back]

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