The government of Honduras has sent troops to take control of the country's main prison, near the capital, Tegucigalpa, after three gang members died in a riot. Three guards were also wounded.
President Porfirio Lobo said the move was aimed at ending "the reign of criminals in our prison system".
The BBC reports the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Saturday issued a report which said the government had given up on rehabilitating criminals and left prisons to be controlled by inmates.
The commission said the jails were under the de-facto command of inmates who set the rules and enforce physical punishments.
"It is essential that the state take on this crisis in the prison system as one of its priorities, because the system has totally collapsed," said commission spokesman Escobar Gil in Washington DC.
Government figures show more than 12,000 people in Honduras are currently incarcerated in prisons that were built for 8000.
The National Penitentiary, located north of Tegucigalpa, reportedly houses 3300 inmates.
After the clash, hand grenades and firearms were found in the prison.
The BBC reports the government then ordered an immediate military takeover at the facility saying it should end the reign of criminals in the prison.
Security forces were also guarding injured inmates taken to a hospital in Tegucigalpa, to prevent any attempt by gangs to free them.
The commission also criticised the government's response to a fire, which killed some 360 prisoners at the Comayagua prison in February 2012.
