[4] Following the 2011 riots in El Rodeo I and El Rodeo II prisons, where dozens of inmates were killed respectively,[5] President Hugo Chávez announced a program to reduce the violence and the overcrowding in Venezuela's prison systems.
[5] Chávez blamed the past regimes before he took office in 1999 for the current problems in Venezuela's prison system, while Henrique Capriles Radonski, the opposition leader, stated on Twitter after the prison riot that Chávez's administration has been oblivious of reforms.
[5] The deadliest prison massacre in Venezuela's history occurred in 1994 at Maracaibo National Jail, where around 130 inmates were burned to death or butchered with machetes during a gang fight and ethnic feud.
[7] The brawl started after a gunshot was fired during a discussion between the gang leaders of the two factions, although the shot did not hit anyone.
Opposition leader and presidential candidate Henrique Capriles tweeted, "The transformation of the Venezuelan prison system is another big lie that we've been told by this government.