Latest / The Mind of a Man / The World_s Highest Security Prison_ CECOT (The most evil are kept here)

Transcript

The World_s Highest Security Prison_ CECOT (The most evil are kept here) · The Mind of a Man

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What you see behind me is the world's strictest and
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: largest prison. This mega prison has a capacity of 40,000.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Prisoners here are the most unsafe people you can even imagine.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: How many people's lives have you ended?
• 0:12
  Speaker 3: Is it 5 or 10? How many?
• 0:15
  Speaker 4: More than 50. MS-13 and many other gangs. These are animals.
• 0:19
  Speaker 4: These aren't people. They're psychopaths, sociopaths, the kind of people
• 0:23
  Speaker 4: we have here.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: We are about to see the worst of the worst.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Sica, the world's largest prison by capacity in
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: El Salvador, which was constructed to imprison the highest profile criminals.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Those who enter this prison are destined never to leave alive.
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: There's no way out. How are you going to come
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: out of this?
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: The reason why this small country of 6 million needs
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: the largest prison is the gangs. Good morning. Once dominating
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the country, these gangs faced a dramatic crackdown starting in
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: March 2022. Under President Nayib Bukele's administration, over 70,000 individuals,
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: about 2% of the country's adult population, were arrested within
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: just 16 months. Buses transported thousands of changed gang members
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: to Sikot in a tightly coordinated nighttime operation. Sitting one
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: behind the other, heads lowered, they looked like a single mass.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Surrounded by armed guards, none of them dared to resist commands.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Their life has changed.
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: Day.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: In this documentary, we will interview one of them, one
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: of the most ruthless gang leaders known by the nickname Psycho.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Built in 2022, this massive prison is made up of
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: eight separate modules spread over 410 acres of land. Each
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: pair of modules is enclosed by two separate three meter
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: high walls with razor wire. The entire facility is surrounded
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: by a towering 9 meter high wall with a 3
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: meter high electric fence carrying 15,000 volts. 19 watchtowers are
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: ensuring nothing escapes notice. The entire design doesn't just prevent escape,
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: it erases the very idea of it. Hello.
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: Hello, we have permission from the presidency.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: The soldiers stopped us. We're hoping this will be the
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: last checkpoint. The jammers blocked all signals within a two-kilometer
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: radius of Sikant, completely cutting off all communication. Over 600
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: soldiers work only to secure the perimeter. We are going
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: to leave all of our belongings here before entering the prison.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: We will only carry our cameras and microphones.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: That's it.
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: Pass slowly. Look at the camera. The body's scared.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: I forgot my wedding ring on.
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: Well, that needs to be put away over there.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: This high-capacity X-ray scanner even shows bones and internal organs.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: It's mainly used to scan newcomers, ensuring no one tries
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: to sneak in anything forbidden on their body before entering.
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: The inmates used to swallow some objects, or they would
• 3:01
  Speaker 4: try to bring them in vaginally or anally. MicroSD memory cards, microchips,
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: and not only that, even phone chargers.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Another thorough body search has been conducted.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Take off your shoes.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: They even inspected inside our socks. It took us around
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: one hour just to pass through security, even though we
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: were invited as media after months of applying. Guards are
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: wearing masks because they're doing a risky job here. So
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: if they get identified, it might be riskier for them
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: to go to town centers because these gangs have a
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: lot of connections. So they have to keep their identity secret.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Why don't you wear a mask?
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: I have to talk to them face to face, looking
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: them in the eye. They already know who I am.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: We're in the registration room. This area is for inmates only.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: When a criminal is captured on the street, they don't
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: carry ID or give their real name. That's why their
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: fingerprints and photographs are taken here to enroll in the system.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Once they become a permanent part of SECOT, the inmates
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: lose all contact with loved ones for the rest of
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: their lives, as family visits are strictly forbidden. It's also
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: important to note that a small number of innocent people
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: were mistakenly imprisoned during the big crackdown. Because of the
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: no-contact policy, their families have no idea where they are
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: or if they are still alive. For some, this documentary
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: could be their first chance to see a missing loved one.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: Before entering the modules where the inmates are, we visit
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: the armory of the prison. This section is a must
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: in case of possible riots, and these convicts are the
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: most unsafe people on earth.
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: The type of firearm we use is a T-65 rifle,
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: similar to the M-16 rifle. We also have this other firearm,
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: which is a 12-gauge shotgun. A Sig Sauer rifle allows
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: us to maneuver in spaces that are too tight to move.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Whenever criminals are arrested and dragged to the bus, various
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: cuffs and chains are used to restrict their movements and
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: minimize the risk of harm to officers. Has there ever
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: been a riot?
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: So far, there have been no escape attempts. We have
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: the worst of the worst within criminal organizations here.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: The riot gear consists of a head protection, a face shield,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: neck protection, an anti-trauma vest, leg protectors, shin guards, and
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: of course, a shield.
• 5:20
  Speaker 4: Generally, in the prisons we see inmates invent any kind
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: of handmade weapon, like awls or knives.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: They are fully protected. You can see how he protects
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: his feet. Since this prison is so large, we have
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: to hop on this bus. We are entering the module area.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: To keep the country safe, 1,000 staff members work inside Seacomps.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: It is impossible, but let's just imagine that an inmate
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: get out of the fortress. These pebbles that you see
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: are put here intentionally because when they walk on these pebbles,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: it works like an alarm system. It makes a noise.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: They cannot sneak away.
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: Have they tried to escape?
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: No.
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: Could they try? difficult, because they would have to go
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: through a series of security rings.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Seacott was built with its own infrastructure in an isolated area,
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: including an electrical and sewage system to prevent external interference.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: In case of an electricity cut or water supply issue,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: the cisterns and power plants will maintain operations for up
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: to a week. I'm so excited. We're going to be
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: face to face with the most dangerous criminals in the world.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: It is pretty tense. We are entering one of the
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: modules now. you are seeing the third and fourth modules
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: next to each other. An offender who enters one of
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: these buildings never exits through these doors. In a few steps,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: we'll be surrounded by more than 2,500 inmates. It's like
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: stepping in the middle of controlled chaos.
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: Good morning. Good morning.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: This is so intense. Their eyes are all on me,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: following my every step. Getting an eye contact with them,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: there are so many of them. I'm speechless. I can't
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: help but feel unease. All of them wear white shirts, shorts,
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: and slippers. They don't have any other belongings. Most are
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: barely out of their early 20s and convicted of serious offenses.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Even the most infamous criminals in history have an average
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: of 20 to 30 proven victims. But here, some of
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: the inmates are responsible for hundreds of innocent people's lives.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Can I ask the inmates something?
• 7:40
  Speaker 5: No, no, no.
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: If you have any questions, I can answer them for you.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: If they try to communicate with me now, what are
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: you going to do?
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: I'm not going to allow them. They know from them
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: that subsequently there may be a penalty for not abiding
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: by an instruction.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: I'm curious to know which of these group leaders I'll
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: be interviewing. It is forbidden for us to pass this
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: yellow line because these are one of the most dangerous
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: human beings on earth. Without the bars between us, everyone
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: knows exactly what could happen. There are 32 cells in
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: every one of the eight modules making up the Mega Prison.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Each cell holds around 80 inmates, but the number can
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: go as high as 150. Despite not being at full capacity,
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: the inmates only have 0.5 square meters of personal space each.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Prisoners do not have any ventilation rights or courtyards to
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: walk outside their cell. Each inmate here have been given
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: one of the longest sentences you can even imagine in
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: your life. The only thing that doesn't change that all
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: these inmates will never get outside. They will never see sunlight.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: The only people are authorized to get inside and outside
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: are the personnel and sometimes media like us. They will
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: never ever leave this building. If you see their look,
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: you can see the emptiness in their soul. They don't
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: have any hope towards the future. They look very robotic.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Their life is so monotone. This open corner is their
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: toilet area. They have like two toilets for 80 inmates.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: It's literally humiliating these inmates. Like their whole confidence is
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: disciplined here. The same place where they use the toilet
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: is also where they take showers. To clean themselves, they
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: use plastic dippers in a single shared basin. There's no
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: running water in the cells, so the prisoners have to
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: rely on one blue barrel for drinking water. Where they
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: sleep is these metal bunks. No pillow, no mattress. Each
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: prisoner receives just the bare essentials. A white sheet, a uniform, socks, slippers,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: and a towel.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: That's it.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: The prisoners spend their entire days on their four-level bunk beds.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: They have stacked tightly, like items stored in a warehouse.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: As part of hygiene and order, inmates are shaved every
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: two weeks by personnel. Long hair or beards aren't just unhygienic,
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: they can also hide sharp objects.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: Let's take a look. Take off your shirt and line
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: up here.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: Now they are taking their shirts off. These inmates were
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: once part of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs, which
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: controlled the neighborhoods of El Salvador. These two rival gangs
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: spent years extorting money from locals and causing great suffering
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: to Salvadorans. There is Barrio 18, MS-13 gangs all together
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: in one cell.
• 10:17
  Speaker 4: That's right, just like that. The entire module is the same.
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: They all live like this.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Outside, entering each other's neighborhood could mean being torn apart.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Yet here, they are side by side until their last breath.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: How do they live without attacking one another?
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: They have to learn how to live together. Here, they
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: are in a prison. They are not on the street.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: Most of the inmates have tattoos covering their entire bodies,
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: even including their faces, showing their loyalty structure. For MS-13,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: tattoos often include initial letters or the number 13. Members
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: of the other gang use symbols like 18 or 666,
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: which add up to 18 and symbolize the devil, or
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: they use Roman numerals. Having gang tattoos on one's face
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: is a clear sign that they are one of the
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: most ruthless and high-ranking members of the organization. Crossing paths
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: with such a person on the street is the same
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: as staring death in the face. A spiderweb tattoo represents
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: being caught in the web of justice and serving a
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: long prison sentence. The devil horn's tattoo is a dark
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: symbol that represents these individuals' worship of the devil. Some
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: even claim that they carried out their actions under the
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: devil's command. A teardrop tattoo signifies that the person has
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: ended someone's life. The number of teardrops indicates how many
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: lives they've taken. If there are three teardrops, it suggests
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: that the tattoo's owner has taken so many lives that
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: they've lost count. With the phrase, laugh now, cry later,
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: these masks or clown tattoos send a clear message. Stay
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: strong in the face of hardship now and deal with
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: the consequences later.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Are all these people truly bad?
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: They're on another level, high-profile criminals who will never change
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: their mentality.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: If you look at the upside, there's a catwalk area.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Guards consistently watch over the inmates from this elevated spot
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: above the cells. If anything suspicious occurs, they will intervene
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: while an extensive network of cameras observes every corner 24-7,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: ensuring nothing goes unnoticed. The modules are kept lit all
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: day and night for monitoring. When the sun goes down,
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: the lights stay on all the time. They are constantly
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: being observed. I think this is one of the hardest things.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: When they try to sleep, they use their towels and
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: cover their eyes to block the light. Preacher here is
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: teaching some of the important lessons from the Bible to
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: the inmates. They're doing physical exercise over here. There's a
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: trainer there. This is the only time these inmates get
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: out of their cells. These activities take place for a
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: total of one hour per week. under the watch of
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: armed guards. For the rest of the time, they are
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: locked inside. They used to control the streets. Now, they
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: can't even take a step with their free will.
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: It's a rotating schedule. There's not enough space, so they
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: can't all go out on the same day.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Has there ever been a chaotic incident when the inmates
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: were outside of their cells?
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: So far, nothing.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Whenever we focus the camera on a cell, we often
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: catch a prisoner silently mouthing words. Even behind bars, gang
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: members attempt to send orders to the outside. This prisoner
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: was doing just that, but we censored him to block
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: the message. Despite the crackdown, these groups still hold significant
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: power outside. Rumors suggest they have plans for taking revenge
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: by targeting innocent people. But in response, the authorities threaten
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: to impose even harsher measures on imprisoned members. If they
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: do that, there won't even be one meal in prison.
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: I swear to God they won't eat a grain of rice.
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: Let's see how long their homeboys last inside. Here they
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: get three mealtimes, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is usually
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: beans and rice. For lunch, they get white rice and pasta.
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: And dinner's pretty much the same. The only thing that
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: changes is the drink. There's no nutritious food like chicken
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: or meat. This is the lunch. It's rice, pasta, and
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: two tortillas.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: Does the menu vary from day to day?
• 14:04
  Speaker 5: No.
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: Is it the same every day?
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: It's always the same. It's for freshmen.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Okay. It's a sugary drink. I'm going to taste it
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: for myself. Inmates must eat with their hands and clean
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: their plates before returning them. With a diet lacking in protein,
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: many likely suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Before starting our interview
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: with an inmate, I want to show you one more
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: place that is even more extreme than what you've seen
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: so far.
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: Here we are in the isolation cell area. If inmates
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: break a rule, they can be sent to these isolation
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: cells according to the legislation. The law gives me the
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: right to keep the prisoners in isolation for up to
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: 15 days. These cells have sealed doors. Through this grid,
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: I can see them and identify who's inside. We serve
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: food here and we also use this space to put
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: handcuffs on them before opening the door to move them
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: from here to their cell.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the isolation cell. If an inmate misbehaves, this
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: is where he ends up. He won't know the time
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: or how much longer he'll be kept inside. For days
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: or even weeks, he sleeps on this concrete bed without
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: ever leaving. They are cut off from the outside world,
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: left alone with nothing but their thoughts.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: This is where they supply their water. There's a water
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: basin here.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: They take their water here and This is where they pee.
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: The basin for drinking water and the toilets are located
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: side by side. The toilet looks recently used and dirty,
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: suggesting that this cell has recently been used. The only
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: light they have is this little hole that barely lets
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: the sun shine in. This openness is also the sole
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: source of fresh air. What is the most challenging thing
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: about isolation, according to you?
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: Inside, you don't even see your hands. So when someone
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: is isolated, it is necessary for them to have something,
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: a book, anything, to keep their mind clear. But here,
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: they don't have access to any of that. No matter
• 16:08
  Speaker 4: how tough a criminal is, this kind of isolation breaks them.
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: This is necessary for the type of offenders that we
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: have here. People who once played God by deciding who
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: would live and who wouldn't live deserve the worst punishment.
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: We don't show them mercy. They can ask for forgiveness.
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: and may God forgive them. But here, justice must be
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: served for so many victims, and it's the least they deserve.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Now we're going to interview the inmate known as Psycho.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: He has a 34-year criminal history and has spent the
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: last 25 years as a high-ranking member of an organization.
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: Ten minutes. You only have ten minutes.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: Twelve guards are barely enough to ensure the safety around
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: this inmate.
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: Remove the mask.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: What is your name?
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: My name is Marvin Ernesto Medrano Vasquez. How old are you?
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: I'm 41 years old.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: You don't look 41. You look younger, like 35.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: That's a good thing that you told me because I
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: feel old.
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: Can I see your tattoos?
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: I'm 13.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: When did you join this crime organization?
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: In 2004.
• 17:08
  Speaker 5: I started my criminal record since I was 11 years old.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: How did you first become involved?
• 17:14
  Speaker 5: When somebody is born with just a mom and the
• 17:16
  Speaker 5: mom is working, you look for the streets. You look
• 17:19
  Speaker 5: for somebody to help you out. I said, well, my
• 17:21
  Speaker 5: mom's poor. I need some shoes. I need some clothes.
• 17:24
  Speaker 5: And I started robbing. Then I need a father figure
• 17:26
  Speaker 5: because I didn't grow up with my father. And then
• 17:28
  Speaker 5: I looked the group of gangs. Then I did a homicidal.
• 17:32
  Speaker 5: and I came right here to El Salvador trying to
• 17:35
  Speaker 5: change my life but I think that there are more
• 17:37
  Speaker 5: gangs right here and I started doing the same thing
• 17:39
  Speaker 5: I did upstate and I got locked up I've always
• 17:42
  Speaker 5: been one of them persons that wants to accomplish the
• 17:45
  Speaker 5: things that they put in their mind and I accomplished
• 17:48
  Speaker 5: everything I had to do right here but I'm right here.
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: This is how the devil pays the people.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Is it true that to join this crime organization, you
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: need to end someone's life?
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: But the first one must be one of your relatives, right?
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:02
  Speaker 5: Because you got to gain territory for your gang. I
• 18:05
  Speaker 5: lost my mom, my dad, my son, everything right here
• 18:09
  Speaker 5: because of the gangs. When I could be with my family, hey, upstate,
• 18:14
  Speaker 5: the United States, a better life. But, you know, we
• 18:17
  Speaker 5: took wrong decisions and This is the cause of this.
• 18:20
  Speaker 5: That's why I tell the youth, hey, go to school,
• 18:22
  Speaker 5: listen to your mom, listen to your dad. Don't live
• 18:25
  Speaker 5: this life that we live right here. There's no way out.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: How many people's lives have you ended? Is it five
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: or ten? How many?
• 18:31
  Speaker 5: No, if you talk about what you used to do
• 18:33
  Speaker 5: in the jails after, it probably get a few more
• 18:37
  Speaker 5: than 50.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: You gotta do it sometimes.
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: How did you become cold-blooded and merciless in time?
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: I can't really respond to you with that question.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: How do you feel about not seeing your family forever
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: since you're in sick out?
• 18:55
  Speaker 5: I feel bad because I seen my son the last
• 18:58
  Speaker 5: time when he was five years old and he's 21
• 19:02
  Speaker 5: years old. Right now I want to see him. I
• 19:05
  Speaker 5: want to tell him, hey, don't do the same things
• 19:07
  Speaker 5: that your dad did.
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: Look for a good life.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: People who have fallen victim because of you will never
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: see their loved ones again. You will also never see
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: your family. How do you cope with emotions like missing someone?
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: I feel bad.
• 19:19
  Speaker 5: Sometimes, like I tell you, I lay down on my
• 19:21
  Speaker 5: bed and I think a lot of things and sometimes
• 19:24
  Speaker 5: I cry.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: What is your motivation to stay alive here?
• 19:27
  Speaker 5: To one day change my life and look for God
• 19:30
  Speaker 5: in my life and I tell God, hey, forgive me.
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Forgive me because I did some things.
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: Finally, we see the sunlight. Honestly, Secat is a place
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: you would never wish to end up in even as
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: a visitor. But for the people who victimized Salvadorans, it
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: is now their forever home. These criminals took the innocent
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: people's right to live. and now they are paying for it.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: The Salvadoran government's message is clear. Crime is no longer
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: tolerated and the punishment is severe. El Salvador once had
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: the highest rate of lives lost due to widespread chaos.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: During its peak, 104 out of every 100,000 people lost
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: their lives in a single year. Previous administrations agreed to
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: a truce with these groups, but this couldn't bring lasting order.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: Although the current government's methods are controversial, by 2023, the
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: number dramatically dropped to 2.4 per 100,000 people, placing El
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: Salvador among the safest countries in the world for the
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: first time. So far, the results are undeniable. Peace has
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: returned to the neighborhoods. But what about those who were
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: wrongfully imprisoned? Is it true justice or way to control chaos?
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Are we seeing a lasting solution or just a temporary fix?
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: For now, the answer remains unclear and the world continues
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: to watch. Thank you for watching this documentary. See you
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: in the next one. Don't forget to subscribe. Ruhi Cennet
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: was here.