Inside 'world's toughest jail' where British backpacker has been left to rot and inmates 'buy their own cells'

The world's most dangerous yet bizarre prisons of all time that used to be a tourist attraction is known for its peculiar rules and ways of working.

It works in stark contrast to a lot of other prisons in the world, as it offers inmates a better life behind bars, depending on how much 'rent' they pay.

It has since closed its doors to visitors, but the intrigue around it still stands today.

San Pedro prison is located in La Paz in Bolivia, the world's highest capital city at 3,650m above sea level.

It's so bizarrely ran, that if you pay more for your cells, you can get features such as Jacuzzis, based on a star rating - like a Trip Advisor behind bars.

But the reality is, not a lot of prisoners have the money to afford these luxuries, and several, such as recent British backpacker John Henshaw, have been left to suffer behind bars after spending most of his money on legal fees.

After being caught with a small amount of cannabis at La Paz International Airport in February, he was thrown into San Pedro, and will have to wait up to 90 days for his case to be looked at.

The father-of-one is being given money by the British Embassy there, but not enough to get robbed in the dangerous prison.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told LADbible: “We are providing consular support to a British man detained in Bolivia and are in contact with the local authorities.”

LADbible has reached out to the Ministry of Justice in Bolivia for comment.

But he wasn't the only Brit that has had an experience in there, as Thomas McFadden did some time behind bars after being caught with five kilograms of cocaine in his luggage in 1996.

The prison is surrounded by four high, thick walls. 7NEWS

When McFadden was brought to the prison, he was told that he would have to pay a five dollar entrance fee and $5,000 (£4,000) rent, as he slowly discovered his odd set-up.

He explained to The Mirror: "Even though he knew I had no money - the major told me I would need to buy my own prison cell,

"I could never afford the $5,000 they wanted, which I later found out was way over the odds."

Based on this interaction, he thought the prison would be horrible throughout, but he found coloured doors, balconies, flower beds and more in San Pedro.

Rated cells go up to 5.5 stars, with some rooms even featuring carpets, microwaves, libraries and more features, while prisoners could also get a trim at the barbers, or to the on-site brothel, as sex workers could pay guards a fee to enter.

That's not all though, there are also restaurants and churches on-site to enjoy, as prisoners can try to make their way up the class system by doing work such as shoe-shining, carpentry, or even dentistry.

The whole place is essentially run by the prisoners, as they make their own rules such as deadly executions as a form of punishment, and ruthless prisoners even target the poorer ones, subjecting them to beatings.

McFadden further explained: “It didn’t stop until I could fight back. I hardly went out to begin with because I was worried what would happen,

"I would go to the washrooms really early in the morning, so that I wasn’t attacked."

La Paz is the highest city in the world. 7NEWS

It is really tough on the majority of prisoners, but it has previously been reported by Escape.com.au that inmates' families can come and go as they please, as the cells are bar-less and the guards, who are non-uniform, are stationed outside just to stop any possible escapes.

Australian lawyer, Rusty Young, had also visited the prison in 2000 after bribing his way in after his curiosity got the better of him, living there for a full four months.

He said that sex offenders would be brought in with a different ritual, and they are then beaten, drowned, electrocuted or stabbed for their heinous crimes.

McFadden even used to offer backpackers to stay the prison instead of being in a hostel, and set up a walking tour for tourists before the prison stopped allowing it.

“Sometimes we had as many as 70 people visiting," McFadden previously said.

"It did cause some jealousy with other inmates who wanted to get in on the act, but I had the advantage of being able to speak English and had already bribed the guards. They were happy as they got their cut.”

Walking tours outside the prison are still available though, where 3000 prisoners and their families live.

Topics: Crime, Drugs, Travel, World News, Weird, Money

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

@joshnair10