The objective of this measure is to reduce overcrowding in detention centers nationwide.
The Government of Ecuador reported that between December 15 and 22, 2021, more than 700 inmates have been released from various prisons nationwide.
It was indicated that 680 inmates who had a release ticket were released. Likewise, at least 160 inmates accessed prison benefits or regime change, especially in prisons located in the provinces of Azuay, Cotopaxi, Manabí and Guayas.
The objective of this measure is to reduce overcrowding in detention centers nationwide. In 2021, at least 300 inmates were killed in clashes between gangs linked to drug trafficking.
The Litoral Penitentiary was the site where the highest number of murdered inmates was recorded. Between September and November 2021, more than 180 inmates lost their lives. Some were cremated and beheaded in the clashes.
Likewise, between December 20 and 21, the pilot plan was developed for the implementation of the prison census, scheduled for 2022 in the 36 detention centers in Ecuador.
The ‘natural death’ surpasses the violent ones in prisons
To carry out this project, the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI), the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), the Ministry of Human Rights, Civil Registry are working in a coordinated manner. .
The Criminalistics Unit of the National Police and the board of the Technical Agency of the National Social Rehabilitation System also participate.
The serious prison crisis that the country faced prompted the central government to adopt various measures, such as repeated states of exception to try to control these spaces. Personnel from the Armed Forces and National Police entered the prisons for several weeks.
Likewise, the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, decreed the formation of a commission made up of nine national and foreign experts on the subject of the prison crisis, who must present a report on strategies, plans and programs to strengthen the social rehabilitation system . (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.
