Overview
- The government published Decreto Legislativo N.º 1742 on Sunday, November 8, 2026, authorizing the Armed Forces to assume temporary and exceptional roles in external and perimeter security of penitentiaries declared in emergency.
- The text lets the military establish security rings, patrol zones of influence, inspect and register visitors and suppliers, neutralize unauthorized drones, operate signal inhibitors and help detect and remove illegal antennas under coordination with INPE, the PNP and technical support from the MTC.
- The decree complements a 60‑day extension of states of emergency for five high‑risk prisons — Challapalca, Cochamarca, Miguel Castro Castro, Ancón I and El Milagro/Trujillo Varones — and requires INPE, PNP and the Armed Forces to delimit zones of influence within five days of any emergency declaration.
- Implementation will be paid from existing agency budgets rather than new Treasury funds, a choice that officials say speeds deployment but raises concerns about resource strain on INPE, the PNP and military units tasked with sustained operations.
- Officials frame the measure as a response to chronic overcrowding — roughly 107,000 inmates in a system built for about 42,000 and nearly 500 inmates linked to criminal groups — while longer‑term fixes such as stalled prison construction and staffing shortfalls remain unresolved and could limit lasting results.