What is the cell in which Manuel Monsalve is in preventive detention like?

Very different from your room at the Panamericano Hotel is the cell in which Manuel Monsalve began serving preventive detention, after being formalized for the crimes of rape and sexual abuse on November 19.

Judge Mario Cayul ordered that the former authority enter the Rancagua prison While the investigation continues, after verifying the facts reported by the victim, a civil servant who was allegedly attacked by Monsalve in September.

And although the former interior secretary’s defense is seeking a way to appeal against pretrial detention – arguing the man could risk being “extorted” and compromising state security -, so far, Cell 44 is the new “residence” of the man who was at the time one of the most powerful men in the government.

After a session marked by the disappearance of the old authority, Manuel Monsalve was transferred by a gendarmerie team specializing in “high-risk” defendants to Rancagua prison.

This enclosure, located about 8 kilometers from the center of Rancagua and surrounded by high concrete walls, with a facade of pale orange paint, It has the capacity to house more than 2,000 inmates.

In this one, There are 36 modules and 29 patios where inmates are divided according to their situation and their particular crime. On the ground floor are the common areas, kitchens, medical rooms, among others, while on the upper floors are the cells.

According to the information collected The Third Monsalve arrives at the prison and He was received like any other detainee: he was classified, medically evaluated then They took him to the third floor, where module 86 is located.

People accused of sexual offenses, “first-time offenders” and drunk driving are locked up there. Despite this, They are “low danger” prisoners.

Monsalve is located in cell number 44, which has an area of ​​2×3 square meters, as established T13 . Despite its size, It is a space that must be shared with two other inmates : one is a former police officer accused of sex crimes and the other, a man who drove under the influence of alcohol.

The presence of the former police officer on the scene could be a strategic decision by the Gendarmerie, in the event of an incident that could occur in the cell, explained journalists Soledad Onetto and Alfonso Concha. And in this way the institution could be informed of any problem in order to intervene in time, since We do not know what behavior “new arrivals” will be able to adopt during their first confinement.

In this sense, it was emphasized that it is not a question of giving privileges to the old authority, but of a technical opinion so that Monsalve remains alive in the establishment.

On the other hand, inside the cell, There is also a bathroom with a door, to preserve the privacy of the inmates. In it they have at their disposale a toilet, a sink and a shower although this It only provides cold water. It also benefits from natural and artificial light and ventilation from a small window.

Following the information you have received The Third the hours at Rancagua prison are “rigid”: The detainees’ day begins between 8:40 and 9:00 a.m. where the gendarmes visit each cell to count the prisoners in the module.

After, They give them breakfast and allow them to be in the patio, a common space that Monsalve shares with 63 other inmates. It is during these times that they can play ping-pong and engage in other recreational activities.

Lunch is again delivered to the cells around 12:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m.

AND The day “ends” around 6:30 p.m., when the authorities carry out another check and count of the detainees in their cells. They also take advantage of offering them “evening snacks”.

Tuesdays and Sundays are the days when Monsalve can receive up to five visits from family and friends.