Prison deaths hit 560 in Venezuela's violent jails (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela ? A group that monitors conditions in Venezuela's notoriously violent prisons says killings soared to 560 last year.

The nonprofit Venezuelan Prisons Observatory says the toll was a 17.6 percent increase over the number of inmates slain during 2010.

Venezuela's severely crowded prisons see repeated violent outbursts as rival gangs fight for control of cellblocks and sell weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards.

The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory adds that 1,457 inmates were injured amid protest riots, gang-related violence and clashes with prison guards in 2011.

The organization's president released the statistics Thursday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_prison_violence

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