2.Registration system 153.The SPT checked the registration system in the two prisons visited and held talks with prison staff responsible for keeping and updating the registers. 154.Pedro Juan Caballero Regional Prison keeps an “events log”. It consists of a notebook with numbered pages in which the names of guards are entered and any other relevant information concerning the prison staff and inmates, accompanied by the signature of the prison guards. The SPT noticed blank spaces in the registers. The SPT also had access to the punishment register containing the names of prisoners held in solitary confinement, the type of offence and the signature of the officer in charge; however the length of the punishment was not systematically recorded. 155.Tacumbú National Prison keeps a register of visits by family members and public defenders but not by private lawyers. The SPT also observed the register of disciplinary offences, with its numbered pages and signatures and indications of the penalty imposed (solitary confinement in all cases) and the number of prisoners held in solitary confinement. 156.The SPT recommends the establishment of a uniform system for registering admissions, in the form of a bound book with numbered pages, in which the identity of the persons held, the reasons for their arrest and the authority which ordered it as well as the date and time of admission and release should be clearly indicated. Prison staff should receive instructions on how to use the registers, so that they do not leave blank spaces between the notes. The SPT also recommends the establishment of a uniform system for registering disciplinary offences, in which the identity of the offender, the penalty imposed, its duration and the officer in charge should be clearly indicated. 3.Prison management, corruption and system of privileges 157.From the interviews held with many inmates in both prisons, the SPT established that prisoners must pay for any type of benefit. 158.At Tacumbú National Prison, corruption and the system of privileges seem to have reached an alarming level of institutionalization and sophistication. According to statements from inmates, as soon as they are admitted to Tacumbú they undergo a “selection” process before being sent to a wing. Even at the admission stage, prison staff ask newcomers if they would like to be in “a good wing”. If they are willing to pay more than 1 million guaraníes, they are transferred directly to more comfortable quarters. Otherwise they are escorted to the guardroom in post No. 6 where prison staff discuss how much the prisoners are willing to pay to sleep in a wing. Depending on their reply, they are sent to their designated wing at a cost ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 guaraníes. Upon arrival in the wing, prison guards hand over the newcomers to the capataz (inmate in charge of the ward). The newcomers are obliged to pay the admission fee for the wing in question, which is divided up between the capataz and the prison guards. From that moment on there is an urgent need to acquire the money for which they are liable. 159.The SPT visited the VIP wing at Tacumbú National Prison. The material conditions there are considerably better than in the rest of the institution in terms of the space available, functioning of the toilets, plentiful electronic equipment, the presence of many people from outside the centre and the abundant supply of food. Such conditions could not exist without the consent or active involvement of the prison authorities. This proves that privileges are the obverse of the inhuman living conditions found elsewhere in the institution. Prison conditions serve as both threats and incentives to hike the price of space in dormitories where conditions are less grim, as well as in privileged areas. 160.The disparities in the material conditions at Tacumbú National Prison are considered normal by the prison authority itself, as is clear from a report by the Head of Security submitted by the Prison Director to the Supreme Court. The report notes that the Libertad and Lira facilities are regarded as “good” wings, which suggests that the prison authorities take for granted the existence of different types of accommodation. 161.According to repeated and concordant allegations by inmates in the Tacumbú National Prison, there are also weekly fees to be paid to the capataz for keeping the wing clean and tidy. If prisoners do not pay the admission fee or various weekly contributions they are expelled from the wing, and become pasilleros. 162. The system of corruption and privileges described above has spread to all aspects of daily prison life, including obtaining beds, mattresses, food, and medicine, visiting the doctor or even access to work. According to statements by various detainees, access to the approximately 100 jobs available is restricted to those who are willing to pay for their job, and for the tools needed to do it. 163.The SPT considers that corruption is both the cause and the consequence of torture and ill-treatment. People enter into the system of corruption and privileges under duress and become corrupt so as not to suffer abuse. If they do not go along with the system, they are subjected to ill-treatment even torture. Corruption also ensures silence, blocks complaints and guarantees impunity. A system of corruption as hermetic and complex as the one observed by the SPT would seem to offer no choice as regards entering it and no way of escape from it. The SPT also considers that the low salaries of the prison guards serve to exacerbate the phenomenon. 164.In this connection, the SPT would like to highlight one positive aspect: the new prison authorities are aware of the problem of corruption, speak openly about it and seem determined to combat it. This in itself is a key first step. Nevertheless, given the extent and depth of the corruption, a high level of political commitment and a determination to carry through meaningful reform will be required as well a thorough renewal of prison staff. 165. In view of the foregoing, the SPT recommends: (a) The adoption by the highest authorities of a firm and transparent prison policy to combat corruption;