The Guarantees Court No. 2 of La Matanza has suspended new admissions to Unit No. 43 in González Catán following a complaint filed by the Provincial Memory Commission due to the lack of drinking water and prison overcrowding. According to the document accessed by the Argentine News Agency, Roberto Cipriano García, Secretary of the Provincial Memory Commission, filed a collective habeas corpus action due to the serious situation currently facing the González Catán prison regarding material deficiencies related to the hydraulic system and the lack of water supply, in addition to the existing overcrowding. Based on the complaint, Ricardo Tripaldi, head of said court, issued an order to the Infrastructure Directorate of the Buenos Aires Prison Service to inspect and document the condition of the water networks of the Unit. Additionally, the prison director was requested to report the unit's maximum operational capacity, existing overcrowding, water supply, affected areas, strategies deployed to resolve the conflict, and the measures being implemented. In one of the responses, it was reported that the water problem began in April 2024 when deficiencies were detected in one of the pumps. It was repaired only in 2025, but this caused the other one to fail, which remains unresolved. Unit No. 43 of González Catán. Photo: NA Agency (networks) Regarding overcrowding, a data point indicates that the unit currently houses 1,300 prisoners in a space designed for only 478. In this way, Judge Tripaldi granted the corrective habeas corpus action as the conditions of detention were in danger of worsening. The director of Unit No. 43 of the Buenos Aires Prison Service was also ordered to prohibit admissions and new accommodations for a period of 30 days. Additionally, the head of the Provincial Prison Service must adopt the necessary measures to urgently carry out the works required for the repairs and/or pending reconditioning to achieve the optimal functioning of the two submersible water supply pumps and the automatic operation of the network. According to a query by NA to the Provincial Memory Commission, the agency explained that they conduct weekly surprise inspections of penal units where deficiencies are verified.
