Ansarasra

Could someone let me know how to write to an inmate at Piedras Gordas prison in Peru? I will be writing to my friend from an international address. I would also like to know how to send packages and don’t know what is acceptable and what would be considered contraband. Also, how would some send money to someone in Piedras Gordas. There is very little information online, so any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You might be successful in contacting your friend by regular mail, if you were able to obtain the address. The local Peruvian consulate could help possibly. You might also contact the embassy of the imprisoned person in Peru to see if they can help. That is to say, if your friend is American, contact the American embassy in Lima and ask for their advice.

But as far as sending packages and money, you’d probably have to actually go there to do that. The prisons in Peru don’t work like they do here. There is no transparency or set rules about getting stuff into the prison. You will have to go there personally and pass out a few bribes to make sure that your friend gets what he/she needs. Not only that, you’d have to be able to do it with some discretion. If you could find a trusted contact on the outside in Peru, you could send your stuff down and have him do the legwork for you.