This allows, among other things, that the Armed Forces collaborate in the control of prisons, under the parameters of the Constitutional Court.
The state of exception is renewed for 30 days due to serious internal commotion in all the deprivation of liberty centers that make up the country’s social rehabilitation system, according to Executive Decree 276.
This Monday, the previously arranged regime expired and that is why the renewal is given. This allows, among other things, that the Armed Forces collaborate in the control of prisons, under the parameters of the Constitutional Court.
Former director of the Regional jail was released after publicly apologizing after attempted assault
The country is experiencing a prison crisis that, according to the Government, is the product of the confrontation between criminal gangs related to drug trafficking that are fighting for control of prisons. And as a result of that, recently there have been massacres among inmates.
The last massacre took place in the Litoral Penitentiary and left 65 people deprived of liberty murdered. The number of violent deaths of inmates reported this year in the country’s prisons has been the highest in the last decade: 327. Last year they were 52.
According to government figures, at the national level there are 37,201 inmates and a total of 51,631 police officers distributed throughout the country and in the different units.
Hence, there are 1.34 uniformed persons for each inmate, however, the police officers have other internal security responsibilities within their competence.
Remains of 18 inmates killed in the last two massacres remain to be handed over to relatives
While in the provinces where there are regional prisons, there are an average of 0.67 police officers for each deprived of liberty, according to data from the national government.
With the state of exception, the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI), the Armed Forces, the National Police, among other entities, coordinate actions to prevent violence in prisons.
In addition to the regime in prisons, in nine provinces of Ecuador there is a state of exception until December 19, which allows the military to support the control of security in the streets of those jurisdictions in which there has been an increase of violent deaths, among other criminal acts.
Those provinces are: El Oro, Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabí, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Pichincha and Sucumbíos. (I)
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
