Inmates Handed Weapons To Kill

Photo Courtesy of Sky News

Inmates handed weapons and official vehicles were let out of their prison cells for the night as they went and killed 17 people in Northern Mexico. The deadly attack happened on July 18 where the inmates sprayed gunfire at people who were attending a birthday party. The inmates belonged to the Cereso prison in Gomez Palacio located in Mexico's Durango state. Allegedly, the prison guards lent their weapons and official vehicles to the inmates allowing them to leave their cells, kill, and then return to their cells. At the crime scene, the shell casings of the bullets were found to match those of the rifles that were assigned to the prison guards. The shooting on July 18 seem to be related to similar crimes that have occurred. No formal charges have been filed against the guards yet.

The news of the inmates being free to act as hit man were told differently through each news source. Of the five sources used, only two sources mentioned that the guards were accused of aiding the prisoners (NYT and USA Today) where the rest depicted them as being guilty. The guards have no formal charges meaning they are not guilty yet. Some sources, such as the LA Times, NYT and CNN say the slaying took place during a birthday party while other sources mentioned a simple party or gathering. Each source chose carefully how to present the news to the audience in the way they want it to be seen.

In the LA Times, Mexican prisons are described as being "Mexican prisons, overcrowded and poorly run, are hotbeds of violent criminal activity, including telephone extortion schemes and drug operations" (Ellingwood) yet it does not mention the name of the prison the gunmen were from. It the only source to write about the conditions that were present in Mexican prisons. This source was the only source to mention the exact weapons that were used, four AR-15 rifles and to use the troubled anti-crime campaign of 2006 as a sign of official corruption.

In CNN described the incident to be a "killing spree" (AP) and was the only source to mention the name of the prison the gunmen were from. It stated that the weapon used was found and traced to other attacks but did disclose the name of the weapon or that it was the same as those assigned to the prison guards. The source also adds that many narcotics attacks have been occurring in the northern border region of Mexico.

In USA Today, the name of the prison was not stated. It did give the exact number of shell casings found (120) and that it matched the rifles assigned to the guards. It also adds "including women" (AP) when mentioning those who have been killed. The source provided various news other than the incident. It brings to attention that "less than 2% of crimes in Mexico result in prison sentences" (AP). It also mentions other crimes such as a member of a gang accused of recent killings and car bombings has been arrested with a pound of cocaine and two guns in his possession and two marines were injured by gunmen.

The NY Times states that the prisoners carried out three massacres while other sources say the crimes may be related yet it is still unclear if they were the same inmates. It does not name the prison, only its location. It writes that Mexican prisons are not unfamiliar with crime citing an incident that occurred in May 2009 where "53 men left their cells and fled in waiting cars" (Malkin).

The BBC does not mention the name of the prison and writes that the July 18 killing may be related to other crimes. It mentions that the rifles used in the shooting matches those assigned to the guards. It is the only source to mention what is being done after the killing, all the prison guards are being questions along with half of the inmates. It states that 25,000 people have died so far due to drug related violence since December 2006.

Each source incorporated other incidents or statistics to show the level of crime that is prevalent in Mexico. USA Today adds that women were killed too, almost implying that it makes the crime even worse since women were killed. It also included many details of the crime, and crimes in Mexico making it the most informative source. CNN failed to mention many needed details such as the name of the prison, that the weapons were the same as the guards and even the name of the weapon. The NY Times did states that the prisoners carried out three massacres but it has not been proven yet. In LA Times, the article was more focused on official corruption rather than the sole incident that took place on July 18. The BBC was the least opinionated which may appeal to those who just want the facts.

The killing of 18 people is big news but while searching for various sources, only a few articles were present. While searching for a Mexican based newspaper that was also written in English, it did not mention any of the killings. This may be an insight to how the media is very selective on what they publish. The news was not presented as breaking news, the audience was not updated on the situation and relied on articles that may have been outdated. Each source also did not include quotes of people from the community and relied on quotes from officials, making it harder for the audience to decode any messages from the emotional dimension.

Photo: (Wired)

Works Cited

Ellingwood, Ken. "Freed Inmates Carried out Killings, Mexico Police Say." Los Angeles Times - California, National and World News - Latimes.com. 25 July 2010. Web. 25 July 2010.

MALKIN, ELISABETH. "Prisoners Said to Act As Hit Men." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 25 July 2010. Web. 26 July 2010.

"Mexican Officials: Prison Inmates Released to Commit Killings." CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. 26 July 2010. Web. 26 July 2010.

"Mexico: Guards Armed, Freed Inmates to Kill 17 People." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 26 July 2010. Web. 26 July 2010.

"Mexico Prisoners 'freed for Killings' in Durango State." BBC - Homepage. 25 July 2010. Web. 26 July 2010.