24 60(4) Originally, this facility had a maximum housing capacity of 600 inmates, which was then extended to 900 but, in fact, it housed four times as many. Drug, alcohol, and weapon trafficking, violence and maltreatment were common currency. 60(5) Initially, it was conceived as a provisional detention center for people that committed common crimes, whose cases were heard in ordinary criminal courts. However, in light of the growing crime rate and the insufficiency of prison facilities, this detention center began to be used as a prison, housing a criminal population of over 2000 people who were not classified into categories. 60(6) In January 1997, this detention center was completely vacated and the nearly 3000 prisoners who were cramped inside were distributed among three prisons, two of which had been recently built. On March 16, 1997, the detention center was demolished. c) On the detention conditions at Detention Center of Catia 60(7) The conditions at Detention Center of Catia were part of the penitentiary system issues in Venezuela. Along with the extensive use of deprivation of liberty, the crisis in the Venezuelan penitentiary system stemmed from other factors as well, such as an inefficient court system, overcrowding, inadequate prison infrastructure, shortage and insufficient training of prison staff and the practical impossibility of providing adequate rehabilitation treatment to prisoners due to lack of specialized technical staff. 60(8) In 1992, the situation at Detention Center of Catia was characterized by hunger strikes due to the existing conditions, deaths and disappearances of prisoners, breakouts and riots resulting in many injured people. This situation, known to the public at large, prompted investigations by the Prosecutor´s Office and Criminal Courts, as well as the ousting of the Warden of Detention Center of Catia, the Director of Prisons and the General Director of the Ministry of Justice. 60(9) Overcrowding was an important contributing factor to violence at Detention Center of Catia since prisoners would fight against each other for a minimum living space of their own. At Detention Center of Catia, a lot of prisoners lived in common cells that housed two or four times as many inmates as they were originally designed for. Most prisoners did not have an individual cell. The available space for each inmate was approximately 30 square centimeters. Overcrowding of cells also caused hygienic problems, such as filth, pervasive smells and insects. As cells were not allocated, dominant prisoners administered the space. The authorities had no consolidated or reliable data on the number or judicial status of the persons held in this detention facility. At Detention Center of Catia, there was not an adequate record of inmates, which contained the bare minimum of details, such as prisoners’ identity, reasons for arrest, competent authority that ordered the measure, or time and date of entry and exit. 60(10) By November 26, 1992, a report provided by the Detention Center’s Chief of Prison Services estimated the prison population at 3618 inmates. Another report of the Detention Center’s Chief of Prison Services indicated that by November 30, 1992 the number of inmates was 2286. According to the prisoner count performed by the National Guard after a search conducted on November 30, 1992 and the transfer of prisoners to other facilities, the total number of inmates was 2540. Over 95% of the