Report: Mexican prisons overcrowded, unsafe, understaffed

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's governmental rights agency says many of the country's prisons are unsafe, overcrowded and understaffed.

The National Human Rights Commission says it surveyed conditions at over 190 state, local and federal jails.

It found that inmates often controlled some areas of prisons, or had contraband inside.

The report released Wednesday cited insufficient staff, unsafe procedures and poor medical care at many facilities.

The conclusions come as no surprise. In recent months, inmates in Mexico have staged mass escapes, battled each other and shot it out with police and guards with guns smuggled into prison.